The Question of the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith by Charles Mason Remey, Second Baha'i Guardian
THE
QUESTION
OF THE
GUARDIAN
OF THE
BAHA'I FAITH
THE
QUESTION
OF
THE GUARDIANSHIP
OF
THE BAHA'I FAITH
SEVERAL LETTERS OF THE FAITH
IN THE HOLY LAND
RELATIVE TO
THE CONTINUATION OF
THE GUARDIANSHIP OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
NOW CIRCULATED BY
MASON REMEY
HAND OF THE FAITH
PRESIDENT O THE BAHA'I INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
AND
GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
IN THE YEAR 117 OF THE BAHA'I ERA
(CHARLES MASON REMEY)
TO
THE QUESTION OF THE GUARDIANSHIP
OF
THE BAHA'I FAITH
The letters that are reproduced in this folio from Germany, Belgium and India explain themselves. Dr. Udo Schaefer gives a very comprehensive outline of his treatise upon the Administrative-Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith. Mr. Eugen Schmidt expresses with deep feeling the hopes of the believers centered in the Administrative-Guardianship of the Faith. Mr. Gupta of Lucknow, India, gives the most powerful statement that I have as yet seen from the pen of a believer on the station and the spiritual power of the Guardianship. While Mons. Louis Henuzet extends the hope of the continuation of the Guardianship, on and on, as give to the Cause in the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and as promised also by The Beloved First Guardian of the Faith.
But now (June 1960) the Hands of the Faith have arisen to violate the Guardianship and to put an end to the Administrative-Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith. At this moment they have been so successful in their attack that their propaganda and evil stand have so swept the Baha'i world around as to all but put aside and destroy the hopes of the assemblies and communities of the Baha’is in the Administrative-Guardianship of the Faith!
Even these European believers in Germany and Belgium, who were once so firm, have now repudiated the stands they have taken in these accompanying documents written by them; and they have assured the Hands of the Faith in The Holy Land of giving them their complete and unqualified support in their Sans Guardian Program for 1963! Thus has the plague or pestilence of violation of the Revealed Word swept through the Baha'i world.
I add to this compilation my letter to Dr. Udo Schaefer. But as yet I have had no reply from him.
From Mr. Gupta of Lucknow, India, I have heard nothing. However, from the tone of this accompanying letter that he writes to the Hands of the Faith, I can hardly see him accepting their dicta.
Thus stands this question of the Guardianship of the Faith now at this moment. But I have all faith in its eventual triumph. Therefore, I add to the matter in this folio my Proclamation of Ridvan 117 B.E., in which I call the attention of the Baha'i world to my appointment as the Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. I make no claims to anything of mine ownself, but merely call the attention of the Baha'i world to my appointment to this supreme position in the Administration of the Faith – an appointment by the Beloved Guardian, during his lifetime, and all in accordance with the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’.
MASON REMEY, GUARDIAN
of the Baha'i Faith
Dr. Udo Schaefer Neckargemünd,
Neckargemünd November 9th, 1958
Peter-Schnellbach-Str. 36
Revered Hand of the Cause,
Dear Mr. Remey,
As the Hands of the Cause have gathered in the Holy Land at present the believers look at them full of hope. Most of the believers are depressed and intangled in deep resignation since the death of the Guardian. They are not only depressed because they have lost their brilliant Guardian but because they fear that the vacancy of the Guardianship, which at first seemed to be temporary appears to be final. This fear of the believers is multiplied by the sad message of the Hands of June 12th, 58, in which the message of the Hands of November 1957 is interpreted in such a way, that the believers should give up all hope for a future Guardian, and in which they are admonished “to desist from all further speculation on the future development of the institutions of the Faith.” This message was very discouraging to everyone; we cannot believe that there never again will be a Guardian, for this would result in a complete ruin of our Order. I doubt that the Hands who have not been “freed of all error” by Bahá’u’lláh have the authority to answer such a question definitively in a negativ sense.
I have worked and meditated a lot about the questions of our Administrative Order, for I wrote my Dr’s thesis on this subject. I took the liberty to make a compilation of all the important reasons proving that there must be another Guardian, which you will find enclosed. You may rest assured that it was my sense of responsibility and my conscience which lead me to take action for the preservation of the Faith.
Nowhere else the advice of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá should be more heard than in this question of vital importance for our community: “to act with utmost care and wisdom”. If I may give an advice, be not only lead by your intuition but also by the human mind. Shoghi Effendi once mentioned: “God has given men a rational power to be used and not killed.” Shoghi Effendi had a keen and clear-sighted mind and he was not in the least a religious fanatic; this I have experienced from his writings. What we need today is his clear and for-sighted mind.
It would be fatal indeed if this meeting of the Hands should end in a similar communiqué, which shows every sign of a compromise, because it tries to meet all opinions. This would be a communiqué which can be used by everyone in a different sense.
And moreover: the plans left by Shoghi Effendi are not forming their own object, but have to be thought over anew. You may rest assured that our 10-Years-Crusade will find its fulfillment if the believers can draw new courage and strength from the certainty that there will be a new Guardian. Then the technical details will not give way for further speculations. Without this positive knowledge our teaching-work seems to be a fruitless undertaking.
May God bestow upon you a clear mind, wise far-sightedness, and great courage!
Yours,
in His Service
Dr. Udo Schaefer
Shortly after receiving this letter I wrote to Dr. Schaefer as follows no more, and no less! “I have received your letter of November 9th ’58 with its enclosures and I have read it – reread it and studied it with much and very deep thought.
Sincerely yours,
Mason Remey”
The Guardianship, the “Headcornerstone of
the Administrative Order of Baha’u’llah.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Messages to
America p. 8)
I
The fundamental necessity of the Guardianship.
1. The Guardianship, the source of infallible guidance.
2. The Guardianship, the guarantee of unity among the believers.
II
The continuance of the Guardianship according to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the writings of Shoghi Effendi.
III
The arguments against the continuance of the Guardianship.
IV
The vacancy of the Guardianship and the enemies of the Cause of God.
I
If we consider the question whether through the death of Shoghi Effendi the institution he was endowed with came to an end or whether it left it vacant temporarily, we have first of all to keep in mind that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá decreed this institution neither out of an instant mood nor because the building of the Order of Baha’u’llah looks more significant, more beautiful and more admirable, or even to imitate examples of the past, but that He decreed it because this institution is necessary and lies in the nature of the matter. How much this institution of Divine interpretations is an internal necessity and requirement of a community of believers shows the very fact, that the Catholic Church has given birth to such an institution naturally without being able to endow it with indisputable authority. This statement that the Guardianship is a final necessity is to be proved:
- The community of Bahá’u’lláh possessed unerring Divine guidance as long as Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lived. The believers were able to turn to them and ask them questions concerning the Faith and daily life. With the death of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá this unfailing assistance would have come to an end if He had not made other provisions. The institution now mediating the Divine guidance was the Guardianship. Through the death of the Guardian and the vacancy of the institution occupied by him there is no recipient of the unerring assistance. You may say: There is the Universal House of Justice, the National Assemblies and above all the Chief Stewards, the Hands. Do they have no Divine guidance? There is to say: The Universal House of Justice according to the law of Bahá’u’lláh being the twin-pillar for the reception of unerring Divine guidance has not yet been established. The Hands of the Cause, the Local and National Spiritual Assemblies as well as every individual believer may be lead by the Divine guidance, but not necessarily in every case and not all their actions are infallible. They receive the assistance only under certain conditions not to be foreseen by the believers: if they consult in the atmosphere of harmony, selflessness and complete detachment. (Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’i Administration, pp. 22 and 65) For the Hands as well as the National Spiritual Assemblies the word of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá does not comply: “Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God…” (Will and Testament, Manchester, 1950, p. 10.) These institutions are not freed from al error like the Guardianship and the Universal House; they have authority and their decisions made within their area of competance can demand obedience and observation, but not objective and ultimate rightness. (Will and Testament, Manchester, 1950, p. 10) (As this question of the discontinuancy of the Guardianship can only be solved by an institution freed from all error an authoritative decision of the Hands of this matter is not within their competence.)
What does that mean: It means that with the Guardian’s death the Baha’i Community was for the first time left without a Divinely decreed organ endowed with Divine guidance. The Baha'i Community is without infallible guidance. Any comparison with the situation after the passing of Abdu’l-Baha is therefore out of place. Though the Baha'i Community at that time was neither firmly established nor did it have the other administrative institutions but in the Guardianship they possessed a source of Divine guidance. Due to this guidance they won their great victories. Today we have an administrative structure with a body and limbs but the head is still missing. The arc of the Faith is without a steering-wheel. The flock of the believers is without a shepherd. God wished to bestow upon the community of the Greatest Name His infallible spirit in a twofold way through two institutions. Is it justified to maintain that God changed His plan because we have to face a difficult problem?
The function of the Guardianship shows that it has no ephemeral character. Its task has not been fulfilled but it was only a beginning. The Guardianship is apart from its other functions an institution with the claim of the infallible authority final necessity for the Baha’is or merely a pleasant and desirable institution without which they can eventually do.
If we understand that this institution is the sole and only fortress against schism and that the Guardian is the only guarantee for the unity of the believers then we must realize that the destiny of the Faith of Baha’u’llah relies on the continuance of the Guardianship. If we consider the words of Abdu’l-Baha about the Guardian; “Well is it with him that seeketh the shelter of his shade that shadoweth all mankind.” (Compare also Ruhiyyih Khanum, 25 years Guardianship, p. 26: “..the mighty institution of the Guardianship in which mankind has found a sure refuge in this new age…”) we may realize that the welfare and the future of the whole of mankind are dependent on the Guardianship. No wonder that Shoghi Effendi called the Guardianship the “Head-cornerstone of the Administrative Order”. Tear this headcornerstone out of the edifice of our World Order and the whole building will collapse like a house of cards! Ruhiyyih Khanum herself said, that the Guardianship is the pivot of the Cause of God: “The principle of successorship, endowed with the right of Divine interpretation, is the very hub of the Cause into which its Doctrines and Laws fit like the spoke of a wheel – tear out the hub and you have to throw away the whole thing.” (25 Years Guardianship, p. 23…)
The following proves that the unity of the believers is only guaranteed by the Guardianship and not by the other institutions (compare Ruhiyyih Khanum, 25 Years Guardianship p. 19: “The institution of Guardianship…has, as it was destined to do, effectively prevented any division or schism in Baha'i – ranks.”)
Unity of the believers is impossible without unity of faith. Only the complete conformity in questions concerning the Faith links the believers together in full harmony. Religious history proves that a loss of the unity of the Faith was always followed by a loss of the unity of the believers: If we think of the quarrel between Paul and Peter about the validity of the Laws of the Old Testament, which resulted in the schism of early Christendom into a Pauline and Petrine Christianity; if we remember the ecclesiastical controversy during the early centuries of Christendom, the breach in the Catholic Church which came about through the separation of the Orthodox Church in 1054 and the reformation, or the split in the Islam: There were always controversies in questions of faith, which lead to a loss of unity and to a rise of sects. The word of man is especially insufficient and inadequate when we think the most profound. The Divine Revelation is, therefore, highly exposed to the danger of controversy. Unity in matters of faith, therefore, demands undivided and authoritative teachings, and this is impossible without an institution which upholds the Faith with authority and infallibility and interprets the Revelation, religious history proves this fact. The institution for Divine interpretation has for the first time in religious history been decreed by God, in order to prevent a split in His community into many groups and sects fighting with words and swords. The Catholic Church proves, that the undisputed authority of such an institution – and the authority of the Guardianship is entirely indisputable – guarantees the unity of the believers. Wherever the authority of the Pope is recognized the unity of the believers is safeguarded.
To repeat: The Church created such an institution perceiving its necessity. – We should, therefore, not be so stupid as to attach too little value to this Divine gift, and not throw it away.
I said, the task of the Guardianship is at its very beginning. The teachings of Baha’u’llah are not yet fully expounded and the believers do not know their abundance in the least. The obligation to daily study and teach the Faith and to meditate on the significance of the Divine Word as ordained by Baha’u’llah is an obligation of which no human institution may or can dispense us. Moreover the announcement of new teachings and the dispute with the spirit of the different epochs will confront the believers without an institution for Divine interpretation with insoluble questions and leave them without an answer in critical questions. No well-meant advice and no admonitions of other institutions will be able in the long run to prevent the rise of differing dogmas. How can the unity of the Faith and the believers be maintained? (Shoghi Effendi left no doubt that the unity of the Faith without the Guardianship is in danger: “Without such an institution the integrity of the Faith would be imperiled, and the stability of the entire fabric would be gravely endangered. Its prestige would suffer, the means required to enable it to take a long, an uninterrupted view over a series of generations would be completely lacking, and the necessary guidance to define the sphere of the legislative action of its elected representatives would be totally withdrawn.” (The World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 148) Who is to watch in future over the purity and integrity of the Revealed Faith? Who is to prevent the rise of the same thing that happened over and over again in religious history and which Baha’u’llah tried to avoid, namely that the Revelation in course of time will be darkened by the words of man, will assimilate foreign substances, and grow into a complexio oppositorum, into a combination of contrasts and a syncretism? Neither the Hands nor the National Spiritual Assemblies or even the Universal House of Justice which have no authority of Divine interpretation will be able to stop this inevitable development. Therefore: Without the Guardianship no unity of the teachings, without unity of the teachings no unity of the Faith; without the unity of the Faith no unity of the believers. And without the unity of the believers the Divine Force of the Revelation cannot effect mankind with its undivided power. The object of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah cannot be accomplished, for without the unity of the believers the unity of mankind is impossible.
II.
The necessity of the institution of the Guardianship which lies in the nature of the matter and the continuance of this institution resulting therefrom has been entirely confirmed through the Revealed Word and the statements of Shoghi Effendi.
1. According to the Testament of Abdu’l-Baha the building of the World Order of Baha’u’llah is established on the twin pillars of the Guardianship and the Universal House. Shoghi Effendi stressed this fact in all his writings, when speaking of the of the twin-institutions of the Administrative Order. (World Order of Baha’u’llah, Wilmette 1955, p. 147, 148) Without the Guardianship the Order of Baha’u’llah rests solely on one pillar the pillar of the Universal House.
2. A fundamental element of our World Order is a principle which must be called a phenomenon of religious history and which has been upheld since the time of the Patriarchs in all Divine Dispensations even in the early Christendom and especially in the early Shiite-Islam: The principle of heredity. Also in the Baha'i Faith the family of the Manifestation, the Holy Family, holds a special station. Without a Guardianship the Baha'i Community is bereft of this hereditary principle: “Divorced from the institution of the Guardianship the World Order of Baha’u’llah 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.” (World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 148).
3. The Testament of Abdu’l-Baha leaves no room for any doubt that the Guardianship has not come to an end by a single appearance, but that it is a continual constitutional institution. The Testament contains an explicit regulation of succession. What sense is there in such a regulation of succession if it will never be put into practice? Do we think, that Abdu’l-Baha was endowed with so little prophetic power, that He did not foresee the difficulties we have to face at present? Do we not doubt the Divine Inspiration of the Testament left by Him, if we suppose that the regulation contained in it will never be put into practice?
4. Shoghi Effendi distinctly stated that after him other Guardians will take the place of his: “…To the integrity of this cardinal principle of our Faith the words, the deeds of its present and future Guardians must abundantly testify.” (World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 151) Can it be our opinion despite this clear statement about which there cannot be any doubt, that Shoghi Effendi wanted to express by not nominating a successor that with his death the Guardianship had come to an end?
5. The entire system of our Administrative Order cannot function without the Guardian. The following proves this statement:
(a). In the Will and Testament it is said: “This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the direction of the Guardian of the Cause of God ….all must be under his shadow and obey his command.” (Will and Testament, Manchester 1950, p. 13) This means that the Hands of the Cause receive their instructions from the Guardian and that they are an institution which is liable to him. Their title “Hand” proves that they have an executive function: The hands perform what the head commands. The Testament shows no indication that the body of the Hands can come to a conclusion on their own authority. But they are under the authority of command of the Guardian. Nothing can be objected if all the Hands act as “Chief Stewards” and administer the affairs of the late Guardian for his successor. But if the Hands act forever without a Guardian an objection is justified. Then the institution which has been bound to the instructions and commands of a higher authority will turn into a body acting on its own authority. This would be contrary to the Will of the Founder of our Faith and it would mean a fundamental alteration of the Will and Testament of the Master.
(b). The Hands are appointed by the Guardian according to the Will and Testament: “The Hands of the Cause of God must be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the Cause of God”. (Will and Testament, p. 13) Question: Who is to appoint the Hands in the future? If the entire body of the Hands will do this it is contrary to the explicit regulations of the Testament.
(c). What will happen if one of the Hands becomes a Covenant-Breaker? (According to the Will and Testament also Hands of the Cause can become covenant-breakers: “Should any, within or without the company of the Hands of the Cause of God disobey and seek division, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon him, for he will have caused a breach in the true Faith of God.” (Wilmette, p. 13)) A Hand cannot expel another Hand because all the Hands are co-ordinated and not subordinated, and a Hand has no authority of command over another, just as little as a believer over the other. The only possibility would be that the entire body of the Hands expels the Hand. This can only be transitory and needs the confirmation of the future Guardian. There is no provision made in the Will and Testament for such a case and therefore it can only be temporary as an emergency measure.
(d). According to the Testament of Abdu’l-Baha the Hands have the right to cast out Covenant-breakers, but they have no right to accept them back into the Faith. This results from the statement, that the Hands may “in no wise accept any excuse”. (Will and Testament p. 12) According to the text, only the Guardian has the right to accept Covenant-breakers again. This means that in case the Guardianship came to an end, no Covenant-breakers could ever be accepted again. An intolerable conclusion!
(e). The Guardian is the chairman of the Universal House and has to watch that the enactments of this body do not conflict with the meaning of the Revealed utterances (World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 150), and this means that the Universal House cannot function without a Guardian in the long run. The Baha'i Community, therefore, is without an infallible legislation, if there is no Guardian. Then the Baha’is have no organ whatsoever which is “freed of all error”.
(f). By the way, the Huquq’u’llah is to be paid to the Guardian according to the Will and Testament. Ruhiyyih Khanum refers to this: “He (Abdu’l-Baha) also fills in a remarkable gap in that mighty book of laws.” This gap exists again if the Guardianship has come to an end.
All these considerations show that the entire system of our World Order does not make much sense without a Guardianship and that without this “headcornerstone” it cannot exist in the long run.
III.
As far as I know, the following arguments are brought forth against the assumption that the Guardianship is only temporarily vacant and not for ever:
- The fact that the Guardian appointed no successor because no Aghsan was qualified. To this is to say: Baha’u’llah explicitly called the Afnan His Family (Prayers and Meditations, New York, 1938, p. 154) The fact, that the Guardian did not make a designation does not allow the conclusion – at least not with absolute certainty – that he would not have made one had he known of his sudden death. The outstanding personality of Shoghi Effendi may make a comparison with other possible applicants difficult. But we have to observe that the Divine guidance is independent of the personality of the Guardian, because it rests upon the institution and not on the person, and because, as Ruhiyyih Khanum stated, the Divine guidance “is not a voluntary thing, it is an involuntary one, not an optional thing, but a functional thing…” (Teaching Problems, Ruhiyyh Khanum, special insert, Baha'i News, June, 1949, p. 5) A person who cannot be compared with Shoghi Effendi will also receive the assistance of the Holy Spirit, if he fills the institution of the Guardianship. Who can say, that such a personality will not surpass itself under Divine guidance and become something it was not before? And who can say that Shoghi Effendi did not only become what he was through the Divine guidance? It is a sign of little faith, if we believe that the Divine guidance will not rest on a somewhat less brilliant branch of the Divine lotetree, and it is a sign of unjustified optimism, if we think that we can do without this Divinely ordained institution.
- The idea that the Cause is protected:
It is true that the Baha’is know for certain that the Cause of God will be unhurt. These prophecies were made with regard to the fact that the Baha’is possess an institution which mediates the Divine protection. The Cause of Baha’u’llah is protected by institutions which were freed of all error by God. Without these institutions there would be no infallible guidance, for would it exist without these, why did God ordain them? The idea of: “Whatever may happen, nothing can hurt us”, is dangerous, for it misleads us and we easily forget that God permits the evil out of His inscrutable ways, and not for the first time mankind deprives itself of the fruits of paradise. The general prophecy of assistance does not suffice, if we fail. Jesus has also prophesied His followers: “…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20) Did this promise guarantee the unity of the Church? The Cause of God is only protected through the Guardianship and the Universal House. If we cut down the Guardianship, “the Sign of God on Earth”, the “Centre of the Cause”, then we bereave us ourselves of the protection of the Cause of God.
- The opinion that the Guardian could appoint a successor only in his lifetime.
Where does it say that the regulations of the Testament are final and exclusive? It is evident that the Will and Testament shows gaps concerning the succession as the Kitab-i-Aqdas showed some gaps which were filled by Abdu’l-Baha. The situation we have to face at present, that the Guardian passed away without designating his successor is not in the least so very extraordinary or not to be foreseen. It must be evident for each understanding observer that the Testament leaves in this question room for more detailed regulations, for the possibility is obvious that a Guardian may die before he designated his successor. Supposing a newly nominated Guardian who has not yet any decendants falls a victim of an accident soon after entering the Guardianship. What is to be done in such a case? Would this mean an end of the Guardianship? Such a situation might have come to pass, and Abdu’l-Baha must have foreseen it. If He has not given any detailed regulations then it meant that He wanted to leave this question to the institution which has to fill such gaps of the Law, the Universal House. The idea that Shoghi Effendi was the only one to appoint a successor is not at all proven, and the Testament does not give any hints for this contention, but it clearly states that the regulation of the succession has to be completed by legislature.
- God has intervened.
God has intervened by leaving the Guardianship vacant. Where does it say that the Universal House cannot settle this vacancy? Where does it say that God has forbidden us to overcome the difficulties facing us? What gives evidence that God wishes to destroy the marvelous Order He has bestowed on us to overcome the difficulties facing us? What gives evidence that God wishes to destroy the marvellous Order He has bestowed on us soon after its unfoldment? God has intervened by leaving the Guardianship vacant and not by letting it cease to exist, so soon after its unfoldment.
This is my firm conviction and the Writings testify it. What proves against it can be offered?
IV.
The vacancy of the Guardianship and the enemies of the Cause of God. Did we think of the fact that we supply the outer and inner enemies of the Faith with arguments against the Divinity of our Order, if we say the Guardianship has come to an end? The Church which was able to maintain its self-created Papacy for 2000 years despite all difficulties and which takes this fact for a prove of the Divinity of this institution will triumph and reject our claim on the Divinity of our Order as disproved by the history. The Covenant-breakers will readily pick up this “God has intervened” and will take it for a prove for the correctness of their statement that the Guardianship was an usurpation which was met by the wrath of God How can we defend ourselves under such circumstances? How can we convince the new believers of the Divinity of our Order, if the outer and self-erected facts tell against it? With the definite abandonment of the Guardianship we loose in same measure of our credibility and persuasive power as we deprive us of the Divine protection. May God shield us therefrom!
H1062 1958 Nov 22 PM 6 22
Y1782
Frankfurtmain 25 22 1619
LT
Handsfaith Haifa Israel 592
Assure praying Divine Guidance for safeguarding unity cause in adherence with twin pillars Guardianship head cornerstone world order and Universal House
Justice
BAHAIRAT Frankfurt
1 CFM Y 1782 LT Handfaith
(Copied from the original telegramme by C.M.R.)
THE HANDS OF THE CAUSE
OF GOD IN EUROPE November 19, 1958
TO THE REVERED HANDS OF THE CAUSE
OF THE BAHA'I’ WORLD COMMUNITY
P.O. BOX 155 HAIFA (ISRAEL)
Dearly Beloved Baha'i’ Friends:
The whole Baha'i’ Community will direct its mind and wishes in these days to the Center of our Faith where the Hands of the Cause of all parts of the world will be gathered for the second time after the sudden passing of the Beloved Guardian. Surely the result of this very important conference of the Hands will influence the Destiny of the World Baha'i’ Community and its service for the execution of the ten year plan profoundly and decisively.
I feel that the propagation as well as the protection of the Cause of Baha’u’llah are depended upon the clear and divinely inspired conception of the continuity of the Guardianship, the “Divine Masterpiece, which the Hand of the Master Builder of the World has designated for the unification and triumphs of the world wide Faith of Baha’u’llah”, (From Shoghi Effendi in “World Order of Baha’u’llah” p. 8) in conjunction with the powers granted to the Universal House of Justice by Baha’u’llah in the Kitab-i-AKDAS the Guardian emphasizes that the Guardianship “Enhances the prestige of that exalted assembly, stabilizes its supreme position, safeguards its unity, assures the continuity of its labors, without presuming in the slightest to infringe upon the inviolability of its clearly defined sphere of jurisdiction (W.O.B. P. 8).
Because I was informed about different meanings about this essential question for the unity and integrity of the Baha'i’s my conscience and responsibility as a board member as well as a member of the German-Austrian N.S.A. compel me to direct your attention to this fundamental problem. Personally I am firmly convinced that the successful function of the institution of The Baha'i’ Administration is impossible without the continuation of the Guardianship. There are many reasons for this fact. Regarding the Universal House of Justice “The Highest Legislative Organ” Shoghi Effendi wrote that “without such an institution the integrity of the Faith would be imperiled and the stability of the entire fabric would be gravely endangered”. (W.O.B. P 148) Abdu’l-Baha designates the Guardian as the sacred and permanent head and the distinguished member for life of that body. The right to expel a member of the Universal House of Justice is only laid in the Hand of the Guardian.
The member of the German Austrian N.S.A., our friend Dr. Udo Schafer sent me a copy of his letter and compilation about the said question, directed to the Hands of the Cause. I think his compilation of many quotations concerning this matter is worthful for your conference. His arguments for the continuity of the two pillars of the Baha'i’ Administration are remarkable and clearly seen.
In prayerful unity with you I would like to express my sincere hope that Baha’u’llah may you all illuminate and inspire to solve the great problems according to His Spirit and will and in the sense of Our Beloved Guardian.
With loving greetings
In His Service,
Yours,
Eugen Schmidt
COPIED FROM THE ORIGINAL LETTER BY C.M.R.
REGISTERED SOCIETY NO. 141 NOVEMBER 18, 1958
(U.P. INDIA) RAFFANIAN
L.S.A. (LUCKNOW) HAIFA, ISRAEL
Where as by a resolution passed in the presence of seven members of the Assembly on November 9th, 1957, it was resolved that “the activities of this L.S.A. be suspended til the appointment of the next Guardian of the Faith” and the same was intimated to the N.S.A., New Delhi, and whereas it comes under the purview of the Supreme Council, so therefore it behooves this assembly to place the following argument without prejudice, before the aforementioned Supreme Council through Raffanian, Haifa (Israel):
- Man’s nature is two-fold; he is spirit and body and therefore, at once, a citizen of this world and of the Heavenly City.
- The State of Guardianship is the supermost thing upon Earth, for the Guardians are not only God’s lieutenants upon earth, and sits upon God’s throne, but even by God Himself they are called Gods. That which concerns the mystery of The Guardian’s power is not lawful to be disputed, for, that is to wade into the weakness of Gods, and to take away the mystical reverence that belongs unto the temporal presence of them that sit in the Throne of God.
- The Guardian ought to have no equal in his realm because this would nullify the rule an equal cannot have authority over his equals. Still less ought he to have a superior or anyone more powerful than he, for he would then be below his own deputies and it is impossible that inferiors should be equal to the Supreme.
- The Supremacy of the Guardian in spiritual matters is absolute under God. Substantially He is the “AKDAS” in the sense that he can neither be removed nor held responsible and has ultimate authority over the rest of the hierarchy, which his deputies have not. The Guardian has full power to create Hands of the Cause and can do so without any of the customary forms of election.
- The unique power possessed by The Guardian alone, is, therefore a “Divine Right”. It confers a peculiar superiority, a power of revision and supervision over all other forms of authority whether ecclesiastical or secular. In substance the Guardian alone is the head of the entire legal system, not, indeed, as a universal executive but as a court of final authority which functions not in absentia but by presence. It is evident that it is impossible to invest the community or even the Hands of the Cause, with the supreme authority which is the Divine prerogative of the Guardian.
6. The present system is but conciliary and the concillarists have set against it the ideal of a harmony of powers cooperating by free and mutual consent. Such an argument is fought with the implication that God changed the mode of imposing His Divine Right according to the wishes of the few. Such a democratic conception is vitally opposed to the Spirit of the Faith. The concilliarist theory stands curiously balanced between past and present. Wherever authority stands upon the exploitation of a sacred name, intimidation has to be adopted as a policy on considerations.
L.S.A. Lucknow in animated suspense til the consecration of the Guardian on His vacant throne.
51 Sundarbagh,
Lucknow U.P. (India)
Copied from the original letter by C.M.R.
“Gupta” was the name of the writer of Lucknow, India.
Puis les amis-entendirent la letter de Louis Hénuzet, Membre du Conseil Auxiliaire Européen:
A tous les Amis des Pays de Benelux,
Très Chers Amis,
Notre Foi Bien-aimée traverse une très douloureuse épreuve. Notre Gardien, après s’être donné tout entire à la tâche de construire les premières institutions de notre Foi, nous a quitté avant que le triomphe final ne soit acquis.
A cette heure de soufrance, je vous conjure de vous montrer dignes de son sacrifice et d’étaler le courage et la fermeté don’t vous êtes capables. La seule façon d’exprimer notre amour envers le Cher Disparu, ainsi que notre confiance en sa sagesse qui nouse a guide, est de rester fermement attachés aux institutions divines crées par la Plume meme de Baha’u’llah et d’Abdu’l-Baha, et que le premier Gardien de la Cause a appelé à l’existence.
Ces institutions sont la forme meme du Covenant et seul le Covenant est capable d’assurer la continuité de notre Cause, de l’abriter contre tout shisme et partant, de realizer notre but final qui est l’instauration de l’Ordre Divin de Baha’u’llah, charpente du Royaume de Dieu sur la terre.
Si notre Gardien a été rappelé par la volonté du Très-Haut, l’institution du Gardiennat reste fermement établie. C’est vers elle que nous devons nous tourner avec la meme loyauté et la meme ferveur. Rien, alors, ne sera changé. Car l’inspiration infaillible de l’Auteur de notre Foi continuera à guider Celui sur qui retombera la lourde responsabilité de conduire los destinées future de notre Cause.
En attendant que nous soit connu le successeur de Shoghi Effendi, les dépositaires de cette mission divine de guider le people bahai, sont les Mains de la Cause, don’t l’institution vient d’être récemment renforcée. La Sagesse divine qui a animé notre regretté Gardien, l’a attaché, tout particulièrement dans ces dernières années, à épanouir cotte institution, à lui donner toutes ses prerogatives et à la faire comprendre de tous les croyants.
Ainsi donc, mes Chers Amis, si Shoghi Effendi nous quitte avant que sa tâche ne soit entièrement terminée, les fondations qu’il a creusées de ses mains, sont indestructibles et rien ne prevaudra contre elles.
Ceux qui bâtiront sur ces fondations seront assures du triomphe final tandis que ceux qui choisiront de s’en éloigner, ne bâtiront que sure le sable mouvant.
Hommage à Celui qui lui succèdera pour continuer cette tâche, aux Mains de la Cause qui l’assisteront aux Assemblées Spirituelles Nationales qui se dévoueront à son service!
Hommage enfin à tous les croyants de notre Foi, qui se rapprocheront dans l’éprouve et seront dignes de l’héritage que leur laisse SHOGHI EFFENDI, notre très cher, notre bien-aimé notre sublime Frère disparu!
Louis Hénuzet
Membre du Conseil Auxiliaire.
MASON REMEY
GUARDIAN
OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
IN EXILE
FROM HIS HOME IN HAIFA, ISRAEL
TEMPORARILY LIVING IN
WASHINGTON 4, D.C., U.S.A.
WHERE HE CAN BE REACHED AT
P.O. BOX 418
June 1, 1960
Dr. Jur. Udo Schaefer
Neckargemund, Germany
Peter Schneliback Str 36
Dear Dr. Schaefer:
I am very pleased to have your letter of May 16, 1960 and the copy of yours of the same date addressed to The Hands of the Cause residing in The Holy Land, regarding the Proclamation that I sent you of my appointment as Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith by our late Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi that was made by him during his lifetime in conformity with the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha.
Before taking up with you the matter of my Guardianship, I would like to touch upon your personal reaction to certain of the fiats of the Hands of the Faith.
In your letter of November 9, 1958, a copy of which was addressed to me personally and in its accompanying presentation of your studies of the Guardianship, you present the Guardianship of the Faith in a most masterful way – a document that in my opinion will go down through the ages to come as one of the great treatises upon our Faith. I, myself, have had 100 copies of this letter with its enclosures reproduced and spread amongst the believers in America for their edification.
But now as I read your letter to the Hands of the Faith with your approval and support of their disapproval and rejection of the Guardianship and of their intention of electing their Universal House of Justice in 1963 to take over the direction of all Baha'i affairs, sans Guardian, I ask myself – How you can possibly support their program for 1963?
With your clear concept of the infallibility of the Guardianship, how can you endorse and accept any Universal House of Justice that the Hands could establish without their first having a Guardian to give the first support – that of infallibility to that institution? According to the Will and Testament, the Administration is built up about and is centered in the Guardianship. Therefore how can you look at this plan of the Hands for 1963 as anything other than flagrant violation of the Will and Testament and the Administration that the Beloved Shoghi Effendi built up upon and about the Guardianship? A believer with your clear concept of the Guardianship and its relation to the Administration of the Faith should come out frankly and warn others not to follow this violation of the Hands of the Cause.
From your letter to the Hands of the Faith, Dear Dr. Schaefer, I fear that you are not aware of the fact that the Hands of the Faith from their first conclave have definitely between themselves agreed to put an end to all future Guardianship. This has been their unannounced-to-the-world-but-fixed-intention from their first conclave. Thus by consent they decided amongst themselves to perpetrate this violation upon the Faith.
This you should have realized from the studied way in which (in the Proclamation from Behje and from all messages from the Hands to the Baha'i world) the Guardianship has been sedulously avoided – avoided with the intent of gradually destroying any hopes that the people might entertain for a continuation of the Guardianship, the result of which has been to gradually so condition the popular Baha'i mind as to forget the Guardianship and in its place accept their falacious invention of their plan for 1963.
You see I have been living with the Hands of the Faith in Haifa up until last November. During a period of over two years I have argued with the Hands showing them and telling them that they were willfully violating the Will and Testament and urging them to uphold the Guardianship and repudiate it and the Administration thereof. I being the only one among the 27 Hands who stood for the Guardianship. The truth of the matter was that the majority of the Hands were so strongly opposed to Guardianship that there could be no discussion. Thus the Hands as a body (all save I) supported the Sans Guardian Policy.
Thus this great violation has grown and spread out throughout the Baha'i world. Until now even you and other believers in Germany who have seen with such clarity that the Cause cannot exist Sans Guardian that even you now come forth and support the Hands in their violation. Your letter of November 9, 1958 to me, that of Eugene Schmidt of November 19, 1958, and the telegramme from the German National Assembly dated 22 November 1958, that reads “Assure praying divine guidance for safeguarding unity Cause in adherence with twin pillars Guardianship Head cornerstone world order and Universal House of Justice”. All of these were received at the Behje Conclave of 1958 but none of these communications were even read before this conclave or were any of these documents read before any other conference of the Hands in Haifa.
When I asked the Hands what was going to be done about these messages from Germany, I was told that the two German Hands of the Faith upon their return home would talk with the German friends about the plan for 1963.
Now what I ask of you, My Dear Dr. Schaefer, is how can you together with our other German friends give your support to such flagrant violation of the Administration as is now being perpetrated by the Hands of the Faith? How can you?
I am in receipt of a message from the Hands in Haifa of May 10, 1960 telling me of the confidence and the full support of the German National Spiritual Assembly in their plans for 1963 as recently assured them. In other words, of your support of their plan for the Cause without the Guardianship!
Why are you in Germany thus giving your support to that which the Hands are perpetrating when you know so perfectly well that the continuance, the solidarity, and the triumph of the Baha'i Faith depends upon the Guardianship?
In your recent letter to me of May 16, 1960 you write “I agree with you that without the institution of the Guardianship, the order of Baha’u’llah is not only incomplete, but also the unity of the believers and the integrity and identity of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah cannot be guaranteed and preserved”.
Therefore I ask you again, how can you and others holding such a Baha'i authadox belief, how can you at the same time uphold the program of the Hands of the Cause for 1963 – Sans Guardian? In other words, why are you and others in Germany supporting so heartily the program of the Hands, that which you know to be wrong; namely the ending of the Guardianship?
This question of violation brings to my mind all that the Master Abdu’l-Baha taught us about violation of the teachings of the Faith, which during his ministry of thirty years as “The Center of the Covenant” was the outstanding problem of the Cause, but which during the ministry of the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi while always a major import was not so wrecking to the Faith as it had been in the days of the Master. The Sohrab violation and other minor violations were handled by Shoghi Effendi without any great disturbance to the Baha'i world.
But now this present great violation of the united Hands of the Faith has encompassed the Cause throughout the entire world so now it is necessary that the believers everywhere study the teaching upon the subject of violation and its evil effects of confusion and destruction to the Faith.
The Master compared violation of the teachings to a poisonous disease oft working quietly and secretly to undermine and to destroy the Faith. The Master’s last message to me and to another believer in Washington, cabled but a few hours before his death read “He who sits with leper, contracts leprosy”.
Such is this insidious power like a malignant cancerous growth that disrupts the Faith of God. For this reason the Master and later Shoghi Effendi forbade all contact or communication of the faithful with those who violated the Revealed Word of God.
I beg of you, Dr. Schaefer, to make a study of violation that you can protect yourself and other souls from this curse. You have prepared a very complete exposition, I am told, upon the Guardianship – one that I understand the Hands of the Faith refuse to allow you to publish but a treatise upon this all important subject of violation now before the world I trust to see in print in various languages for the enlightenment of the Baha'i world.
I am not at all surprised that the publication of your thesis on The Guardianship has been held up by the Hands of the Faith. This fact in itself should show you that they don’t want the people to even think about Guardianship.
However as things now are in the Baha'i world in this state of confusion caused by violation, an effort by you to put forth a comprehensive treatise upon “Violation” would at this time be a great safeguard against the evil virus of violation that dominates the Hands of the Faith and all with whom they contact.
Please do this, Dr. Schaefer, both for your own edification and in order to give this great protection to others that this knowledge of the teaching of how to protect against violation would assure those whose belief and faith is in the Guardianship. For unless this belief and faith be safeguarded from this now almost prevailing violation of the Hands of the Faith it threatens in the end to kill the Baha'i Faith. Thus it is most important that the believers should know how to protect themselves and the Faith from violation. The power to give this protection lies only in the knowledge of the teaching about violation, its ways and its subtleties. This knowledge, the friends should understand for such is their only protection and that of the Cause.
As for my present Proclamation of Ridvan 117 B.E. in which I call the attention of the Baha'i world to the fact that The Beloved First Guardian of the Faith had during his lifetime upon earth appointed me to be The Second Guardian of the Faith – your reaction to this in your letter to me was that it was ABSURD! Curiously enough my own first reaction to this fact was precisely the same as yours – I thought it to be absurd indeed and for some time I would have nothing at all to do with the thought of this that at that time seemed to me to be such an absurdity! But as the truth of the Beloved Guardian’s appointment of me to this supreme station in the Administration of the Faith penetrated my consciousness, I myself, who at first revolted against this – I myself was the first one who had to accept this appointment – not that I wanted it, but because the Beloved Guardian had ordained it.
My own personal resistance was therefore my first resistance to this appointment by the Beloved Guardian that I had to overcome. I assure you that nothing but my allegiance to the Beloved Guardian and to the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha made me accept this for in the Will and Testament all are commanded to obey the Guardian of the Faith.
During the seven years (more or less) that I dwelt with and served Our Beloved Guardian in his home in Haifa, he spoke to us, there assembled at his table, many times of the way that Almighty God had of sometimes putting aside and completely nullifying the plans of men and even the word and plans of the Manifestation of God Himself – putting all aside and changing even that which the Manifested Word of God had ordained! Shoghi Effendi spoke of this to us many times!
The Persians call this state of affairs “BADA”. When the Almighty God puts aside and does away with even that which was ordained by the Manifestation Himself, this they call BADA.
Such was the case of the inheritance of the Guardianship of the Faith. It was the written intent of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha that the Guardianship be kept within the line of descent from Baha’u’llah and this was understood by all the Baha'i world. But because of their violation of the Will and Testament by all of the members of his own family – all of them without exception – the Beloved Guardian was obliged to cut them all off from any possibility that any of them inherit the Guardianship from him. This the Beloved Guardian declared to the Baha'i world and all Baha’is should know this without question.
As is well known the Beloved Guardian himself had no issue to carry on any such inheritance from him. Here God the Almighty stepped in and changed the entire possibility of the Beloved Guardian’s carrying out this order of inheritance that was written in the Will and Testament. In other words, this particularly command had gone BADA and that was definitely all that there was to it – BADA.
Then it was that the Beloved Guardian in his infallibility designated that I, Mason Remey, succeed him in the Guardianship of the Faith. This must be accepted without question by every firm and steadfast believer for what Baha'i would presume to question the infallibility of the Guardianship of the Faith? Only those who violate the command and the word of the Guardian would question this, and this is the state of the Hands of the Faith and those who follow them at this particular juncture in the affairs of the Baha'i world – those Baha’is who do not accept the Beloved Guardian’s appointment of me as their Guardian are violating the command of Shoghi Effendi and are definitely enemies of Shoghi Effendi and enemies of the Administration that he founded upon the precepts of the Will and Testament.
The Faith indeed faces a time of disruption and this time of trial and bewilderment will continue until this matter is settled and this settlement can only be achieved when all who violate are cast out from the Faith and from all association and all connection with the Faith. This is why I urge you and all other believers to study the teaching of The Center of the Covenant upon this subject of violation that each believer see for himself that “He who sits with leper, contracts leprosy”. Let all beware, take this urgency to heart and stand firmly for the Guardianship of the Faith, now dedicating their efforts to serve under my guidance, the Second Guardian of the Faith. There is no half way about this matter – one must be wholly all upon the one side for there is no compromise to be made.
The facts of my appointment by the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi to follow him as the Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith were presented by me to the Baha'i world by my Proclamation to the American National Convention of Ridvan 117 B.E. – not as claim made by me, Mason Remey, for that most exalted position in the Faith, but as statement to the Baha’is in convention and through them to the Baha’is of the world that the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, had himself and of himself bestowed this position of Guardianship of the Faith upon me. Of this appointment I had nothing to do whatsoever. I never put myself forward for such position in the Faith, neither before nor since this appointment. The only step that I made in issuing my Proclamation was to tell first to the Hands of the Faith, then to the believers of that which the Beloved Guardian had done, all of which I reiterate came from him (the Guardian) and not in any way from me.
To begin with, Shoghi Effendi some time after appointing me a Hand of the Faith, appointed me President of the Baha'i International Council telling me that from that time on Haifa in Israel was to be my home and saying that this was the forerunner and his first step toward the formation of the Universal House of Justice.
Then some time later he further elucidated this matter by saying that this International Council with me as its President was in fact the embryonic Universal House of Justice that was destined to develop into the full functioning Universal House of Justice of the Baha'i Dispensation of the future ages, the heart and the infallibility of which would rest in the Guardian of the Faith who would be the President of the House of Justice as prescribed by the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha. In other words, no one but the Guardian of the Faith could be the President of the Universal House of Justice and the President of the Universal House of Justice could be no other person than the Guardian of the Faith.
Therefore when the Beloved Guardian appointed me to be the President in the embryonic Universal House of Justice he was bestowing upon me in embryo or potentially a position in the Faith that only the Guardian of the Faith could hold – for the Presidency of the Universal House of Justice and the Guardianship of the Faith being one and the same in reality and in infallibility. I, after Shoghi Effendi, was destined and thus described by him to be his successor in the Guardianship of the Faith.
I, knowing these things, remained quietly doing all in my power to enlighten the violating Hands of the Faith trying to save them and the believers from following them in their violations. Thus for over two years I stood alone doing all I could to save them but with no success until for the sake of the Cause the world around I was thus at length forced to tell the Baha'i world that I was their Second Guardian and that I had been their Second Guardian since the death of Shoghi Effendi. I had to tell them this in order to save the Faith from this violation forced upon the Baha'i world by the Hands of the Faith.
Weighing the matter in my mind thus I forebore with the Hands of the Cause just as long as I could but finally for the sake of the Faith these conditions forced me to proclaim and to explain to the friends that the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi had appointed me the Second Guardian of the Faith!
All this the Beloved Guardian had done and accomplished as prescribed by the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha during his lifetime. In order to make the appointment of Shoghi Effendi more clear to the people I reminded them that this, my special appointment by the Beloved Guardian, was the only special appointment that Shoghi Effendi ever made to any man during his life tenure of the office of Guardian of the Faith. In this he fulfilled the only special or unique appointment that the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha enjoined upon the Guardian of the Faith to make – namely that of the special appointment of the Guardian of the Faith to follow him. The Hands of the Faith were not unique appointments for there were any number of these. The Beloved Guardian’s one unique appointment being that of the next Guardian to follow him.
Putting all these various elements of this question together and arranging them in this logical form and sequence, what could be more clear to the sincerely seeking Baha'i mind than to realize that Shoghi Effendi himself has complied with that which the Will and Testament told him to do and that in his infallibility, he took this way of perpetuating the living Guardianship of the Faith by appointing me as his successor in Guardianship.
If there be those who don’t approve of this action of Shoghi Effendi, the faithful friends of the Faith should shun them, separate from them and if they persist in their violation leave them in the outer darkness of the world – thus let them have no relations with these violators remembering always the last warning sent to me in America that was intended for all the believers – “HE WHO SITS WITH LEPER, CONTRACTS LEPROSY”.
As I have stated in this writ, from the first conclave after the death of Shoghi Effendi the majority of the Hands of the Faith were determined that the Guardianship be ended. In none of their deliberations was there ever any suggestion that the Beloved Guardian might have appointed his successor as he was commanded to do in the Will and Testament – never did one of the Hands show any inclination whatever to seek to find or to determine whether or not there was a Second Guardian?
No will or testament was found in Shoghi Effendi’s desk or in his safe where he kept precious documents and a few objects of Baha'i import. No will was discovered. But in addition to these two places, there was no search through the several large filing cabinets that were filled with the Beloved Guardian’s notes and writings and in all a large quantity of papers. There was a very decided aversion against pursuing the subject of the Guardianship so in the Proclamation that was followed by other messages from the Hands to the Baha'i world, the Guardianship was not only not mentioned but the people were ordered to desist from all conjecture as to the future. Thus did the Hands with purpose try to destroy any hope that the believers might entertain of any continuation of the Guardianship, but at the same time trying to assure the people that their plan for 1963 would give a substitute infallibility so that the Cause could function with Guardianship – thus this violation of the Faith was made.
At the recent National Convention of Baha’is in America Ridvan 117 B.E. Ruhiyyih Khanum took the stand in her attitudes if not in actual spoken words that the Guardianship was a closed chapter in the Baha'i Faith and following that gathering she traveled about through America meeting the believers and making every effort to destroy any hopes that they had for ever having another Guardian of the Faith. Thus are the forces of the violation of the Baha'i Administration being propagated. In order to understand what is really in the minds of these violators, one should study their “attitudes” in order not to be deceived by what they say in words.
As I have already written, what I can’t understand is why you, Dr. Schaefer, and others of the German Baha’is (who apparently from your writings understand the Guardianship so clearly and so well), why you should accept this most apparent violation of the Hands of the Faith and why you should so willingly support their violation?
Why do you follow the Hands, supporting their plans for 1963, when you know or should know perfectly that according to the Baha'i teachings, the Universal House of Justice will have two pillars or supports, or in other words, it is of two parts working together thus making one functioning body – one pillar being the Guardianship of the Faith, infallibly appointed and infallible in decrees – the other the International Assembly chosen by the peoples of the National Baha'i assemblies of the world, that is popularly elected by the mass or the proletariat of the Faith of the world.
But now the falacy of the Hands of the Faith is that without a Guardian to form the first pillar of support to this Universal House of Justice, the Hands of the Faith have declared that they will elect a House of Justice directly by the popular vote of the proletariat mass of the people of the Faith. They, the Hands, contend that this Universal
World Assembly thus elected will have infallibility. Thus they promise infallibility of leadership to the people without the first pillar of the two necessary pillars – namely the Guardianship.
Furthermore, through ignorance of or by ignoring the Beloved Guardian’s explanation of the two necessary elements that form the Universal House of Justice, the people of the Faith are now accepting this violation of the Hands of the Faith and are arising in many places just as you are in Germany to give their support to this violation. I pray and trust that something will happen to awaken you spiritually one and all to arouse you to the danger of this violation of the teaching that you are following – the plan for 1963 all of which is falacious and contrary to the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha and to everything taught by Shoghi Effendi.
I urge all Baha’is to make as complete a study as possible of the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha and in addition to this, study what he taught about VIOLATION and study the matter of BADA.
At this particular moment in the Baha'i Faith, the only safety for the people of the Faith lies in their knowledge of the written divine holy teachings of the Faith.
Faithfully yours in El Abha,
MASON REMEY GUARDIAN
of The Baha'i Faith
P.S. To recapitulate: How is it possible, Dr. Schaefer, that you, Dr. Eugene Schmidt and other Baha’is in Germany can apparently believe so implicitly in the Guardianship of our Faith that is founded upon the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, all of which you have so clearly expressed in your writings while at the same time you endorse and give your support to the program of the Hands of the Faith for 1963 the object and the intent of which program is to nullify and to do away with the Guardianship and replace it by a falacious House of Justice of their own creation, Sans Guardian, that they, in their violation, claim will give them the infallibility necessary to direct and manage the affairs of the Baha'i Faith?
My question to you is how can you hold and be loyally faithful to both of these diametrically opposing fealties? The stand that you, Mr. Schmidt and other Baha’is in Germany who hold belief in the Guardianship should take is that you renounce your support of the violating program of the Hands of the Cause for 1963 and that you accept and give your Baha'i allegiance to the Second Guardian of the Faith now known to the Baha'i world since Ridvan 117 B.E. who was appointed by the First Guardian during his lifetime as directed that he should do during his (Shoghi Effendi’s) own lifetime.
The acceptance of me, Mason Remey, the Second Guardian of the Faith, appointed by the First Guardian of the Faith, is the only salvation of the Baha'i Faith. You, Dr. Schaefer, with your clearly defined conception of the Baha'i Administration should be able to accept and to follow me, the Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.
The Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha vests all authority in the Guardianship of the Faith. No authority of any nature whatsoever is vested in the Hands of the Faith. They are commanded to serve the Guardianship of the Faith, as directed by him.
That the Hands of the Faith at this present time have arisen unitedly to take control is a clear case of violation of the Will and Testament for they are attempting to usurp the power that belongs only to the Guardian of the Faith. This rule of the Hands of the Faith not only has no sanction in the Baha'i procedure but is a most flagrant violation of Baha'i principle, law and order. You, Dr. Schaefer, with your knowledge of the Baha'i Administration and your written attestation of your faith in the Guardianship – how can you stand with these Hands of the Faith sustaining them in their activities and in their determination to do away forever with the Guardianship? How can you compromise your loyalty in this manner? M.R.G.
of the Baha'i Faith
PROCLAMATION
TO THE BAHA’IS OF THE WORLD
THROUGH
THE ANNUAL CONVENTION
OF
THE BAHA’IS OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ASSEMBLED AT
WILMETTE, ILLINOIS
RIDVAN 117 BAHA'I ERA
FROM
MASON REMEY
SECOND GUARDIAN
OF
THE BAHA'I FAITH
Washington, D.C.
United States of America
Ridvan 117
BAHA'I ERA
BELOVED FRIENDS:
Believers have questioned me as to my status as President of the Baha'i International Council, appointed by The Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi, the First Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. I take the means of this proclamation, to the coming annual national convention to tell all Baha'is exactly what my position and status is in the Faith.
The Baha'i people the world around know that The Beloved Guardian singled me, Mason Remey, out from amongst all of the Believers upon earth to occupy the position of President of the Baha'i International Council. This is the only position suggestive of authority that Shoghi Effendi ever bestowed upon anyone, the only special and specific appointment of authority to any man ever made by him.
The Beloved Guardian declared the Baha'i International Council to be the forerunner of and the first step toward the establishment of The Universal House of Justice, and furthermore, that the Baha'i International Council was the embrio of The Universal House of Justice which embrio would eventually develop into The Universal House of Justice.
Although all Baha'is know that I, Mason Remey, am the President of the Baha'i International Council by the appointment of The Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi, yet many of you may not know me personally. I have been living at Haifa much of the time during these past ten years. My visits to America being in the summers when I have done but little travelling among the Baha'i communities so personally I may be a stranger to the many recently registered in the Faith. Therefore, I will tell you something about myself.
My forebearers were early American Colonials of New England in the north and Virginia in the south. I was brought up in the Christian Faith as taught by the Episcopal Church. The members of this church, as you know, although always orthodox may be anything from Catholic upon one hand to Protestant on the other. While this church is usually classed as Protestant, its Prayer Book proclaims it to be “The Holy Catholic Apostolic Church.” My inheritance was from the Catholic interpretation of Christianity rather than from the Protestant attitude.
To the average American, The Catholic Church usually means Roman Catholic, but there are other Catholic communions. In The Holy Land, that is now my home and has been for these past ten years, the Ministry of Religions of Israel lists eleven different Catholic communions in that country – Roman, Anglican, Russian, Armenian, Greek, Greek Orthodox, Coptic, etc. The Anglican Catholic Persuasion corresponding to the so called High Episcopal Church in America.
With this Catholic background it was the most logical and natural thing in the world for me to accept the Baha'i message without question as I did when I heard it in 1899-1900 from May Ellis Bolles (later Mrs. Sutherland Maxwell), because the Holy Catholic Apostolic Church teaches the Second Coming of Christ – The Christ to come manifesting as the Lord of Creation – the Prince of Peace – coming to establish “His Kingdom upon Earth as it is in Heaven.”
From New England on the north and Virginia on the south, my forebears came into the middlewest where I was born in 1874 at a town on the Mississippi River, two hundred and ten miles from Chicago, not far distant from the geographic center of the United States, this land that our Beloved Guardian has called “The Cradle of the Administration of the Baha'i Faith.” Thus do I introduce myself to those of you who may know me but by name only.
As I travel about through the Baha'i world, the friends ask me many questions about the life of the believers in Israel, and in particular about the Hands of the Faith in The Holy Land? The Baha'i people are just curious to know about things transpiring there and of how the problems of the Faith are being handled?
There is some general information that I can give them that is in no way confidential but I am not mentioning anything of a confidential nature to any Baha'i because as is well known in Baha'i circles from the first of the conclave of the Hands the majority of the Hands of the Faith were united in the opinion that absolutely nothing said or done in these conclaves be divulged, disclosed or revealed to any of the Baha'is outside of the body of the twenty seven Hands. However, each Hand of the Faith is not only allowed but urged to express herself or himself with perfect freedom within the four walls of the chamber in which the Hands are gathered. It is the duty enjoined upon each of the Hands to express her or his own convictions to the Hands when seated in conclave.*
I, as the President of the International Council was one of those things that every Baha'i knows but that just never happened to be talked about nor even mentioned in any of the conclaves or in the conferences of the Hands of the Faith; therefore, as this subject was never mentioned, I, having promised the Hands never to divulge any of their discussions, proceedings or decisions, am not breaking faith with International Council a subject that was never even mentioned nor brought up for discussion by the Hands of the Faith in any conference that I ever attended or know anything about.
Before going into the subject of my Presidency of the International Council and the stand that I take in the cause and explain in this letter, I would preface my statement by giving in a few words a picture of the set up of things in Haifa under the regime of The Beloved Guardian when all the members of the International Council including the resident Hands lived there and served the Guardian daily. Each of us council members were given instructions by Shoghi Effendi of what he wanted us to do and we reported to him as these various services were underway and completed. The sole authority of all these operations rested in the instructions given to each direct from the Guardian himself, thus as a council, a functioning body, we never undertook any services of any nature whatsoever.
*A Conclave, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is “Any meeting for secret consultation.”
After the appointment of the International Council, many times one of the members would come to me saying, “Mason, you are the President of the Council, get yourself busy, call a meeting, you are the President of the Council, you should take the initiative to organize this body and do something.” To which my response was always, “The Guardian of the Faith appointed the Baha'i International Council and He will tell me what I should do and when I should call the Council into action.”
The First Guardian of the Faith left this world without giving me any orders or instructions whatsoever regarding the International Council. The Beloved Guardian gave me no authority to do anything about the Universal Council during his lifetime for while He was living He was the Guardian of the Faith and as infallibility then was vested in him only, my position was then only that of I myself holding a potential responsibility. But with the death of Shoghi Effendi, He no longer being the center upon earth of infallibility, I became the acting President of the International Council in my own right as President of this body, thus I came into active command of the council. Therefore I am now assuming the powers that came to me automatically upon the death of Shoghi Effendi and that have been mine exclusively of all others upon earth since the death of the First Guardian of the Faith.
This is the authority I am now exercising when I refuse to recognize any interference from anyone in the affairs of the International Council. This means from any one at all, person or persons.
The Hands of the Faith can only function as protectors of the Faith when they are serving under the direction following the commands of the infallible Guardian of the Faith. They have no authority vested in themselves as Hands of the Faith to act in their own capacity nor in any other capacity, save under the directions of the living Guardian of the Faith.
The Beloved Guardian chose me to be the President of the Baha'i International Council that is according to his explanation the President of the Embrionic Universal House of Justice. Therefore I am the President of the Embrionic Universal House of Justice. When this August body becomes the Universal House of Justice, if such being during my lifetime, I will then be the President of the First Universal House of Justice of the Baha'i Dispensation.
Therefore, inasmuch as The Beloved Guardian in His Infallibility has thus placed me in command of the Faith to protect and to guard the Faith, I can do nothing but assume my place that he has given me with all of the responsibilities, the perquisites and emoluments that go with this position, therefore by his infallible orders I now alone after him command the cause and guard its integrity.
The delay until now of my calling the attention of the believers to the provisions for the protection and the guarding of the cause, made some years ago by our Beloved Guardian when He appointed me to be the President of the Baha'i International Council, has given the Hands of the Faith and the believers of the Faith ample time to discover for themselves, had that been possible for them to have discovered my unique position in the Faith. But until now no one, other than I, has discovered that such authority was vested in me by Our Beloved Guardian. To the moment of my sending out into the Baha'i world of this proclamation, I have taken no one into this confidence – I have stood single and alone in all the world guarding the Faith.
That I was to occupy this August position in The Baha'i Faith that the Beloved Guardian has chosen me to occupy, I have definitely known for the past twelve years more or less, without ever mentioning it to anyone until very recently when privately and in secret, I made this declaration to the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land. In this proclamation statement to you I am now declaring my position of command in the cause to the Believers here in America, “The Cradle of the Administration of The Baha'i Faith,” and through this convention to all the Baha'i World.
In this time of confusion of thought and purpose that so threatens the Baha'i world, now is the propitious moment for me to make the announcement that I do in this writ. I cannot delay any longer. All these plans of the Hands of the Faith for 1963 that are so absorbing and confusing to the people of the Faith must be dropped and stopped immediately. I am the only one who can command this situation so I have arisen to do so for I alone in all this world have been given the authority and the power to accomplish this.
Be it understood. I of myself make no claims for myself. I am but telling and reminding the Hands of the Faith and the Baha'is of all the world of the responsibilities that The Beloved Guardian placed upon me as President of the Baha'i International Council.
It is well known throughout the Baha'i world and accepted by all Baha'is that the protection of the Faith and the propagation of the Faith are special and particular functions of the Hands of the Faith, they working and serving under the direction of the Guardian of the Faith. It is from and through the Guardianship that infallibility is vested and that the Hands of the Faith receive their orders.
The Program for 1960 as announced by the Hands of the Faith in their message to the Baha'i world of November 4, 1959 signed by twenty two of the Hands, as well as the same program announced in their former messages, so flagrantly violate and puts to naught the Will and Testament, the Guardianship, and the Administration of the Faith that the Beloved Guardian so laboriously and painstakingly built up during his long ministry, that I can no longer condone such actions upon the part of the Hands of the Faith. I have remained silent now for over two years hoping that they would give up this destructive propagandizing but all to no effect so now it is necessary that I call a halt upon their activities.
I now command the Hands of the Faith to stop all of their preparations for 1963 and furthermore I command all believers both as individual Baha'is and as assemblies of Baha'is to immediately cease cooperating with and giving support to this falacious program for 1963.
I have delayed as long as I dare delay before issuing this command to the Baha'i world – I, hoping that the Hands of the Faith would see for themselves that the will and testament of Abdu-L-Baha was being violated and that they would of themselves abandon their stand. I, standing single and alone against the entire Baha’s world but confirmed and steadfast in my assurance of ultimately saving the cause from this calamity. My assurance is based upon the authority that The Beloved Guardian gave me as President of the Council, the authority enabling me to act and assume command of the Baha'is that came to me at His death.
It is meet right and timely that I should make this announcement in this convention of Baha'is of America which land the Beloved Guardian called the “Cradle of the Administration.” I make this call here and now standing single and alone before you but fully confident of your support and cooperation in all Baha'i matters for you understand the Administration of the Faith and that I guard it from all violation and harm.
Because the Beloved Guardian called America the Cradle of the Baha'i Administration, the American Baha'is have a very special and particular responsibility to which I am calling them now at this particular time.
I expect the friends in this convention to consider with prayer and with thought this declaration to the entire Baha'i world. I expect them to accept me without question as their Commander-in-Chief in all Baha'i matters and to follow me so long as I live for I am the Guardian of the Faith – the Infallible Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.
The line of the Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith is unbroken for I have been the Guardian of the Faith since the death of the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi.
* * * * * * * * *
At their earliest convenience the National Assembly of the United States should communicate with me so that I can arrange to receive them. Since they are the first amongst the National Assemblies to be called into spiritual action by me their responsibilities are very great for I am calling this American National Assembly first from all other National Assemblies of the world to support me in my command of the Baha'i Cause.
Dearly Beloved Friends, seated in convention in the land of the Cradle of the Administration of the Faith, this is all that I have to tell you now at this time.
With much love to you.
Faithfully In El Abha,
MASON R., GUARDIAN
OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
I
ENCYCLICAL
LETTER
TO
THE BAHA'I WORLD
FROM
MASON REMEY
GUARDIAN
OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
TO THE BAHA'I WORLD
THIS IS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF ENCYCLICAL LETTERS
FROM MASON REMEY, THE GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
Sent Forth From Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Dear Friends of the Faith:
In my Proclamation to the Baha'i World – Ridvan 117 of this Baha'i Era – I announced to the Baha'i world that the Beloved Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, had in his own life time appointed me to follow him in the Guardianship of the Faith as the Second Guardian of the Baha'i Cause, and that I have been the Guardian of the Faith (and had stood alone guarding the Faith) since the death of the First Guardian of the Faith.
In answer to any questions that may arise amongst the believers as to why Shoghi Effendi had thus chosen me, an American Baha'i, to fill this office of Guardian of the Faith appointed me to my present office in the Faith – appointed me during this life time as Guardian of the Faith. No believer should question this infallible appointment!
This I explained in my recent Proclamation declaring that I, Mason Remey, made no claims upon mine own behalf but that I was merely telling the Baha'i world what might have been evident to them had they realized that there had been no break in the Guardianship of the Faith between the First and Second Guardians of the Cause; for inasmuch as my appointment was during the life time of Shoghi Effendi, automatically at his death I was the Second Guardian of the Faith!
Therefore, in view of these facts there should be no question as to the legitimacy of my Guardianship since the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi accomplished this appointment all in accordance with the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha.
Let all Baha'is study the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha that each can understand for himself and for herself the manner in which the Beloved Guardian built up and developed the Administration of the Faith, built up the Administration upon the directions that were contained in the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha.
The Administration of the Faith, that is inseparable from the Guardianship of the Faith, is now under the attack of the violating Hands of the Faith. This is the present issue that the Baha'i world faces! It is the question of the violation and the putting aside and to naught of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha and also of all that the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi accomplished during his long ministry as the First Guardian of the Faith.
All Baha'is understand that the Guardian of the Faith is to be the President of the Universal House of Justice and that the Universal House of Justice cannot exist without coexistence of the Guardianship. He who is President of the Universal House of Justice is the Guardian of the Faith for he who is the Guardian of the Faith is President of the Universal House of Justice. These two offices are one and the same. Therefore, when the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi appointed me President of the Baha'i International Council, that he explained was the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice that was the Embrionic Universal House of Justice that would eventually develop into the Universal House of Justice. I or one of my successors in Guardianship would be President of the divinely instituted infallible body, the Universal House of Justice; therefore the Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith and the Presidency of the Universal House of Justice are one and the same position in the Faith.
According to this manner of reasoning did the Beloved Guardian appoint me to be his successor as President to be of the Universal House of Justice and the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.
Now the Baha'i Faith faces the opposition of the Hands of the Faith who in violation of the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha and of the Administration of the Faith built up upon this Sacred Document by the Beloved Guardian, (this organization of the Hands of the Faith that has no authority whatsoever according to Holy Baha'i Writ – no authority to exist), would put an end for all time to the divine office of the Guardianship of the Faith!
This is the problem that the cause faces now at this time, the problem of violation of the Guardianship of the Faith.
During the years of the mission of and the administration of Baha'i affairs by our late Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi there have been but few cases of violation of the Faith – such as, for example, the Ahmad Sohrab defection known as the New History Society and one or two others. These were promptly settled by the Guardian, by the cutting off from the believers and from the cause of his orders these violators.
But now this present well organized violation so far endorsed by all of the Hands of the Faith in their last message to the Baha'i world of November 1959, signed by twenty two of the Hands of the Faith (all that were present) with the exception of myself who refused to sign, threatens the existence of the Faith throughout the entire world.
Therefore, for the protection of the Faith it is necessary that the believers review and re-study the teachings of the Master Abdu’l-Baha about “Violation” and the manner in which this should be met by the people of the Faith.
In the Master’s last message to the Baha'is in this country – a cablegram sent through Roy Wilhelm in New York to me and to another believer (Mrs. Parsons) in Washington – were the words, “He who sits with leper contracts leprosy.” In many of the Master’s other teachings he pronounces “Violation” to be a spiritually infectious plague – a disease destructive to the spiritual life of the soul of man.
I urge all believers to read and to study the Master’s teaching upon “Violation” that they will thus be able to reinforce and protect themselves and the cause against this menace.
Knowledge of the revealed teachings of the Faith will guide the people of the cause to protect the Faith from all such spiritually disintegrating diseases. The believers should study these teachings and thus prepare themselves to avoid these destructive forces of “Violation”.
In order to protect our Faith I, the Guardian of the Cause, order the believers to have nothing whatsoever to do with those who are violating the Administration of the Baha'i Faith. The faithful believers should do what they can to explain this to those who waveringly follow these violators thus to bring them back into the Faith that they are violating, but if people persist in their violation the faithful believers should leave them to themselves – not associate nor fraternize with them. Nor should they in any way give cooperation or support of any description to these violators – this means no cooperation at all with them – the faithful friends should not contribute any money to the activities of these violators nor in any other way countenance any of the activities of this violation.
At this present time Ruhiyyih Khanum is traveling throughout the Baha'i centers in America upholding, preaching and teaching this violation of the Faith – the Administration of the Faith as established by the Beloved Guardian and the ending of the Guardianship!
She is the arch-violator of the violators of this present testing time of the believers. The people of the Faith should not give audience to her, for her determination is to destroy the administration and the Guardianship. The Master Abdu’l-Baha told us that the very breath as a violator is infectious and as a spiritual poison to the Faith! Every believer should study his words.
What more is it possible for me your Guardian to say to you in order to arouse all to protect the Faith?
Faithfully in El Abha
MASON R. GUARDIAN
of the Baha'i Faith
II
ENCYCLICAL
LETTER
TO
THE BAHA'I WORLD
FROM
MASON REMEY
GUARDIAN
OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
TO THE BAHA'I WORLD
THIS IS THE SECOND OF THE SERIES OF ENCYCICAL LETTERS
FROM MASON REMEY, THE GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
Sent Forth From Washington 4, D.C. U.S.A.
P.O. Box 418
BELOVED BAHA'I FRIENDS:
After receiving and reading my Proclamation to the Baha'i world, announcing my appointment as The Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith as made by The Beloved First Guardian of the Baha'i Faith during his lifetime, almost the entire Baha'i world, it would seem, endorsed the violation of the Hands of the Faith in their repudiation of the most important act of The Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in thus fulfilling that which he was commanded to do in the Will and Testament of the Blessed Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: namely, during his lifetime as First Guardian of the Faith, to appoint his successor, the Second Guardian of the Faith. This he accomplished, as directed in the Will and Testament, when he appointed me, Mason Remey, as his successor in command of the Baha'i Faith.
Although my appointment was veiled at the time, when as his first step he appointed me President of the Baha'i International Council, later on The Beloved Guardian very explicitly explained (still veiled, but clearly explained when all of his statements were taken together with the instructions in the Master’s Will and Testament) his appointment of me as his successor. It is very clear and concise and not to be misunderstood.
Shoghi Effendi’s pronouncement first appointed me President of the International Council, saying that this was his first step toward the establishment of the Universal House of Justice. His next explanation was that the Baha'i International Council, under my Presidency, was the embryonic Universal House of Justice that would develop into the Universal House of Justice. Consequently, when this embryonic House of Justice becomes the fully developed House of Justice, I, Mason Remey, would find myself to be the President of the full functioning Universal House of Justice of the Baha'i world.
As explained in the Will and Testament, the Guardian of the Faith is to be the President of the Universal House of Justice; therefore, he who is President of the Universal House of Justice can be none other personage than the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.
This is indeed a clear and understandable statement of my appointment by The Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, as the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, so this same President of this same living embryonic Universal House of Justice can be none other than the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.
Thus did Shoghi Effendi indicate to the Baha'i world that I, Mason Remey, was to be his successor in the Guardianship of the Faith!
When the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land come out, as they are doing in these days, condemning me for telling the Baha'is that I am their Guardian, they are in reality condemning and violating the Beloved Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi Himself. It was he who made the pronouncement: President of the embryonic Universal House of Justice that would develop into the Universal House of Justice –this embryonic Universal House of Justice in reality actually being The Universal House of Justice –that could only exist with The Guardian of the Faith as its President, which is no other person than I, Mason Remey, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, thus appointed to this supreme position in the Cause by The First Guardian of the Faith during his lifetime and to take office as Second Guardian of the Faith upon his (Shoghi Effendi’s) death; all is according to the Will and Testament of The Blessed Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
What manner of appointment of The Second Guardian of the Faith could be more clear and understandable that this?
Therefore, when the Hands of the Faith condemn me for telling the Baha'i world of this appointment and accuse me of attempting to usurp the Guardianship of the Faith, they are in reality denying that which The Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi himself, wrought; for it was he who thus appointed me to be his successor. It was all accomplished by him. I have never made any claims at all for myself. According to the Will and Testament, such was not my role as The Second Guardian of the Faith to perform. The Guardians of the Faith do not appoint themselves, for they are appointed – each Guardian by his predecessor. Thus did Shoghi Effendi appoint me during his lifetime as the Guardian to follow him. My Proclamation to the world was merely the announcement to all Baha'is of that which Shoghi Effendi had done when he appointed me to be his successor, which I have been ever since his death in England in November, 1957.
Now why Shoghi Effendi made my appointment of Guardianship in the particular way in which he did, I do not know. Nor is it admissible or permissible for any Baha'i to inquire about or attempt to understand, because none of the Faith would question this which was done by the Beloved Guardian of the Faith.
Therefore, the fact that the Hands of the Faith now do question and condemn me for announcing my Guardianship to the Baha'i world, this very action of theirs is in violation to that which The Beloved Guardian did and performed, thus showing and clearly demonstrating to all the Baha'i world their own violation as the Hands of the Faith when they condemn the action of the Beloved Guardian and seek to nullify that which he performed.
This matter of violation, treated of so thoroughly in the teachings of The Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and acted upon for the protection of the Faith by The First Guardian of the Faith, is not generally understood by many of the believers in these days. Otherwise, the people of the Faith would not be so misled as they are by these violating Hands of the Faith, who, like all violators in the history of the Cause, have been bent upon the destruction of the Faith, as they are now upon the way to do; should they succeed in doing this and should the Guardianship end, as they are striving that it should; the Baha'i Faith would indeed be ended, for without the Guardianship—that is the heart and the soul of the Faith – the Faith must die.
But we of the Baha'i Faith have all assurance that in this great day of God His Kingdom is to triumph in this world and His Kingdom has come to dominate the world and all of its activities, even including the activities of the violators. Therefore, I assure you that nothing is in the end going to prevail against the Baha'i Faith. I assure you of this; and as Guardian of the Faith, my promise to you is infallible. You can with all safety to yourselves as individuals, and collectively as a Cause, depend upon this: the eventual victory of the Baha'i Faith over all obstacles, even this present united violation that seems to be of all of the Hands, save myself, against the Guardianship of the Faith. In the end the Cause will triumph over all.
But now before this triumphant end comes to pass, we find our Faith to be torn and wounded by the claws ad talons of the powers of violation, and so for the moment our attention must be focused upon this enemy that must be overcome in order that the Faith live.
The Master’s last message to America came in a cablegram to me and to another believer (Mrs. Parsons) in Washington, transmitted through Roy Wilhelm in New York. It was a warning to the believers, saying: “He who sits with leper contracts leprosy”.
It is most important now, at this time, that the people of the Faith study the Master’s teachings and tablets upon violation. It is most important that they can see and understand how this spirit of violation now, at this moment, dominates the Hands of the Faith and all their actions. The people should read and study the Will and Testament and note the manner in which the Beloved Guardian built up the Administration of the Cause, founding it upon the plan revealed in the Will and Testament. I urge them to study these holy teachings that they can see and understand for themselves how the Hands of the Faith are trying to lead them astray and kill the Faith in a fixed intent to do away for all time with the Guardianship, the very heart and life center of the Faith. What more can I, their Guardian, say to them? Why do they seek any other direction that this that I give them – I, the Guardian of the Faith?
Acceptance of the basic principles of the Baha'i Faith – namely, the present-day fulfillment of the Covenant as taught by The Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the acceptance of His Will and Testament that gave the Administration of the Faith to the Baha'i World –this forms the basis of the Faith to the Baha'i World – this forms the basis of the Baha'i Faith and belief today and is the message that the Baha'is have in this day to give the world. Such was the message given in the days of The First Guardian of the Faith, thus it still is and ever shall be under The Second Guardian of the Faith in this day, and thus will it be in the days of succeeding Guardians of the Faith in the future.
The message that the violating Hands of the Faith have substituted in place of the message of The Beloved Guardian, the message of the Faith “Sans Guardian”, is similar to that of Ahmad Sohrab and his followers of The New History Society, who claim that they are Baha'i followers of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá but that they do not accept the Guardian of the Faith. Thus, like Ahmad Sohrab and his followers, are the present Hands of the Faith violating the Administrative Guardianship of the Faith.
How does it come that this is not clear to the minds of the overwhelming number of believers of today who are blindly following these Hands of the Faith? Why can they not see, and see clearly, that they are all wrong? I will answer this question “Why?”. It is because of the disrupting forces of VIOLATION that poison the hearts and blind the eyes of the people of the Cause.
Let all Baha'is turn to the teachings and explanations of The Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá regarding violation, and therein they will find clearly explained the dangers and the pitfalls that attack those who violate and seek to change the Holy Revealed Texts to suit their own ends.
Such is the abyss into which these erring Hands of the Faith are now plunging the Cause the world around. Such should be clearly evident to anyone who reads The Will and Testament upon which is founded the Administration of the Faith.
The first move that should be taken by those who are firm in their support of the Administrative – Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith should be to go to the aid of those of the Faith who are confused and wavering – confused by the false and pernicious teachings of the Hands of the Cause that the believers have been subjected to since the death of the First Guardian of our Faith. These confused souls should be talked to and reasoned with, all argument based upon the study and restudy of the Will and Testament of the Master and the writings and teachings of Shoghi Effendi.
The spiritual safety of those people of the Faith, who have been and are supporting the program of violation of the Faith carried on by the Hands of the Faith, depends upon their knowledge of the Master’s Will and Testament and the interpretations of the Infallible Guardian of the Faith.
The Arc of the Covenant of the Faith in this present storm is in danger. As the first consideration of the Commander of a ship in distress in a storm at sea is to save the lives of those on his ship, so my first concern now, as Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, is the spiritual safety, life, assurance and well-being of the believers in this time of peril to the Faith.
Those who are confirmed and firm in the Covenant and the Administration of the Faith will now, with renewed energies and confirmation, go forth to continue the teaching of the world crusade instituted by our late Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi. The success of the crusade will be assured to them because they will be working under the Guardianship of the Faith – their Guardian being the heart of the Faith and leading them on to this victory, which victory will be followed by other victories of the Faith.
But the believers are now up against this pernicious condition of the violation that has so taken possession of the body of the Hands of the Faith as to make these Hands of the Faith the enemies-in-chief of the Baha'i Cause.
Are the believers of the Baha'i Faith going to accept and follow this studied and determined plan of the violating Hands of the Faith to destroy and put aside forever the Administration of the Guardianship of the Faith, given to the Baha'i world by The Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will and Testament and founded upon the Will and Testament by the Beloved First Guardian of the Faith? Is the Administration of our Faith, that is being attacked by these violating Hands of the Cause, now to be abandoned? Are the believers going to join with the violators in their plans for 1963 to set up for themselves another and a different order of procedure, one that they falaciously proclaim will be infallible?
Are the Baha'is going to accept this falacious plan and reject the Administration founded upon the Will and Testament and created by our Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi? If so, it would be better had you never heard of the Baha'i Faith and well for you to so avow our intention that those believers standing firmly with the Guardian of the Faith should know who you are, that they can avoid you, and thereby not allow you to empoison others with this spiritual virus of violation that is so deadly to the Faith.
All Baha'is should read and study the Will and Testament of the Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the teachings that he gave about violation and its ruinous ability to spread corruption and destructiveness in the Cause of God; for unless they read and study these Baha'i teachings and get a basic knowledge of these realities, they will not be able to protect themselves against the forces that, at this time, are so obsessing the Baha'i Faith as to threaten its very existence.
What matters most is that within the Baha'i Fold there be those who understand the Faith, for in knowledge there is safety and spiritual power. Knowledge of the teachings shows the believers how to teach and spread the Faith. Without this knowledge, and the accompanying wisdom that goes with it, one is at the mercy of every violator of the Faith, who one may chance to meet, and he will be unable to protect himself from this violation.
The Hands of the Cause accuse me of attempting to create a split in the Cause –as if this were a bad thing for the Baha'i Faith! I am indeed making a split in the Faith, for I am separating the diseased from the healthy living spiritual organisms of the body of the Baha'is. Such was the manner in which The Blessed Master saved the Faith in his day and the Beloved Guardian saved the Faith in his day.
When there is a cancerous growth in the human body the only way to save that person is for the surgeon to cut out completely all of the infection. Such is the way that we of the Baha'i Faith are taught to treat violation of our teaching – to cut it out and cut it off absolutely and entirely lest all the members of the entire body be destroyed. Those who are the source of this infection should be separated from the others lest all become infected.
Therefore, it is necessary now, at this time, that I, Guardian of the Faith, call all believers to separate and to cut themselves off completely from the direction of the Hands of the Faith and from participation in any way or form or manner with them in their plans for 1963, because these plans are all in violation of the Administration of the Faith as taught by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi. Therefore, I exercise the right of the Guardianship to cut off from the Baha'i Faith all of those Hands of the Faith who went upon record in the report of November, 1959, sent forth from the Holy Land and published to all the Baha'i world, declaring their intention of support to their plan for 1963.
These Hands of the Faith I expel from the Faith, and I forbid all association with them and any support of their plan by the believers. I cut them off from the Faith until each of them renounces his stand for this violation and indicates to me, beyond a doubt, his intention of following and supporting the Second Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith.
There may be those among the twenty-two Hands, who signed that statement of violation, who did so under pressure upon the false concept that the minority should always follow the majority in Baha'i Administrative matters. If so, to these Hands of the Faith I give every opportunity for reinstatement in the Faith as Hands of the Baha'i Cause. But should there be such who persist in supporting this violation, then these are to remain as outcasts from the Faith.
The rule of the majority applies in all Baha'i administrative matters with the exception of the violation of the teachings and of the principles of the Faith. Where and when the traces of violation become apparent there should be no uniting whatsoever with the violators. Such is the Baha'i teaching. If there are Baha'is who do not understand this, let them turn to the Will and Testament and to the other teachings of the Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and they will find this principle of the cutting off from all association with the violators clearly taught and explained.
Therefore, in order to maintain the purity and the spiritual strength of the Cause, I, your Guardian, insist that the Faithful followers of the Baha'i Faith comply with this order to maintain a most firm stand against any violation of our Faith and to sever all connections with and support of those who violate the Faith.
The way of the Baha'i Faith is difficult. At all times one must be awake to its perils, and particularly so in times of crisis such as the one in which the Faith now finds itself; for, at this present time, the very existence and the future of the Faith upon earth hangs in the balance. Should the Guardianship of the Faith lapse and the line to allowed to break (as these violators are making every effort to accomplish), the line of Guardianship will be broken, infallibility will be lost to the Faith, and all hopes will be lost for the Kingdom of God upon Earth.
Such a condition we must not allow to happen. Even though we be but a mere handful – a very small number of followers faithful to the Covenant and the Administration of the Guardianship – we, with all the world in violation against us, must stand together and support the Guardianship.
We must stand in firmness for the Guardianship, that is, the Administration of our Faith. Not only must we do this for our own sakes and for the present existence of our Faith; but it must be done for the Faith in the ages to come, for it we fail now and allow the Guardianship to pass out of existence and this spiritual line of heritage to become extinct, future generations will have no Cause. All infallible divine guidance will be at an end.
Therefore, Friends of the Baha'i Faith, arise and maintain the life center – the heart and the soul of the Abha Kingdom upon earth that is the Guardianship – for only by our so doing will the Cause of El Abha be saved for this world. Even though all the rest of the world be against us, nothing can destroy this Cause so long as even a small few believers stand in support of the Guardian and the continued Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith.
With Baha'i love.
Faithfully in EL ABHA,
Mason Remey, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
III
ENCYCLICAL
LETTER
TO
THE BAHA'I WORLD
FROM
MASON REMEY
GUARDIAN
OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
TO THE BAHA'I WORLD
THIS IS THE THIRD OF A SERIES OF ENCYCLICAL LETTERS
FROM MASON REMEY, GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
Sent Forth from Washington 4, D.C., U.S.A.
P.O. Box 418
Now is A Time of Judgement of the people of the Baha'i Faith.
Unknown to anyone until his Proclamation to the Baha'i world, he, the Second Guardian of the Faith, had been upon guard over the believers for these past two years and more of his Guardianship since the departure of the Beloved First Guardian of the Faith.
During the period of his occultation, as his mission in the administration of the Faith was gradually being born into his consciousness and his responsibilities were moving him to protect the Faith, the Second Guardian stood alone against the united Custodian Hands of the Faith, they insisting that the Guardianship of the Faith be abandoned and he frankly telling them that they, by their stand, were violating the Will and Testament of the Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha and that everything they were doing in their organization was wrong and in opposition to the Administration of the Faith that had been inaugurated by the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi.
To all of his entreaties and appeals the erring Custodian Hands turned a deaf ear. Neither these Custodians nor the entire body of the Hands when seated in conclave wanted another Guardian. Thus, for reasons of their own, they were against then, as they are now, the continuation of the Guardianship. Thus through their influence among the Baha'is at home and abroad, the Cause now finds itself under this present cloud of violation and dominated by these erring Hands of the Faith.
The present Guardian of the Faith forebore as long as possible to call these violating Hands to the judgement of their iniquities, for according to the Baha'i standard of sin, there is no greater iniquity that that of the violation of the divine holy law and writ. During this period before his declaration, your Guardian was ever pleading and urging the erring Hands not to abandon the Administration, the heart of which is the Guardianship of the Faith. But finally, as Ridvan 117 B.E. approached, this violation had attained such proportions that it was becoming too great a menace to the Faith throughout the entire world to be allowed to continue. Therefore, your Guardian was obliged to take drastic action against this violation by coming forth and revealing himself in his supreme station as the Administrator of the Faith, thereby forcing this issue of the Guardianship upon the believers throughout the entire Baha'i world. He therefore called all believers, without exception, before the Baha'i Bar of Justice, where every individual believer must now make his stand either for or against the Guardianship!
No middle course is allowed. The division must be clear and distinct, and it must be so maintained.
Those who follow the erring Hands of the Faith and reject the Guardianship will inevitably fall into confusion and division amongst themselves, and they will leave naught behind them in this world save a page in the history of the Cause that will be known to future generations as “The Epoch of the Great Violation of the Baha'i Faith”. Upon the other hand, those who remain firm under the guidance of the Guardian of the Faith will lead the Cause on and on toward victory after victory in the triumphant growth and expansion of the spiritual power of the Faith.
Believers, followers, and upholders of the Faith, witness the power of your Guardian! At the approach of the Feast of Ridvan 117 B.E., when apparently all the Baha'i world endorsed and unitedly supported the program of the erring Hands for 1963, a program that would definitely establish their own Universal House of Justice Sans Guardian (all in direct defiance of the Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament) – at that time when practically the entire Baha'i world supported this violation, your Guardian then arose as but one believer in solitary opposition to all others on earth and called a halt to this violation of the Hands of the Faith. He, but one individual, pitted his power against all others; he, standing single and alone, was confirmed in changing the entire course of the Faith from the chaos of violation, and with his Proclamation he put the leadership of the Faith back again under the Guardianship. At the moment when the violation of the erring Hands was apparently without question, your Guardian struck them a blow that sent them and their many supporters into a state of confusion that resounds around the world, a state of dismay that demonstrates the fallacy of their stand against the Will and Testament of the Blessed Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
Every individual Baha'i in the entire world is now compelled to make his or her stand either with and for the Guardianship, or against the Guardianship and for the violation of the Faith. Thus will the Cause be cleansed of this present violation.
The Guardian of the Faith expels from the Faith all who stand with and give support to these former Hands of the Faith, who are leading this movement in violation of the Guardianship. The Guardian enjoins all believers and supporters of the Administration of the Guardianship to have naught to do with these enemies of the Faith. There must be a clean-cut and a strict line drawn dividing these peoples. This is a very definite and clear-cut issue before the Baha'i world, and it bears no compromise.
The most immediate duty of the believers who are firmly established in the Guardianship is to save as many as they can of those who are following the violation of the Faith. These firm believers should also, and at all times, strive to give the message of the Baha'i Faith (that is, the message of the Guardianship of the Faith) to all the peoples of the world in general, and thus to carry on and win the World Crusade.
Since the day of the First Guardian of the Faith, the message that he taught the believers to propagate has not been given by the erring Hands of the Faith and those supporting them in their violation. They have been making great efforts and sending out their teachers all over the world, and many people have been brought into the violating Baha'i belief that these erring Hands have propagated. But in their propagation of error, they have not been building up the true Baha'i Faith which is “Pro Guardianship”. During these last two years and more they have been converting people to their “Sans Guardianship” doctrine, thus assembling and organizing, in all parts of the world, cohorts who now follow and support them in their violation and who in reality, are the enemies of the only true Baha'is – those who are following and supporting the Guardianship of the Faith.
Friends of the Faith under the Guardianship! At present we are but few in comparison with out enemies, who are commanded by the violating Hands who were formerly of the Faith; but now victory over all opposition is vouchsafed to us, and to us only, for we have been given the power under the Guardianship to stand up against this violation. We will win this battle.
There is no doubt in the mind of your Guardian but that the vast majority of the avowed Baha'is, who are now supporting the violations of the former Hands of the Faith, are sincere in their faith in these violators. But while sincerity is a virtue when following in the true path, sincerity in following the wrong path can lead only to destruction. Therefore, let every avowed Baha'i study and restudy the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the words and works of our late Beloved Guardian so that each can understand for himself or for herself the path prescribed for Baha'is to follow. The believer will find that there is but one path to follow – the path directed by the Guardian of the Faith. Any and all other paths will lead the followers astray.
As previously explained, this “Epoch of the Great Violation” is indeed a “Time of Judgement” of the people of the Baha'i Faith. The Faith has been spreading throughout the world these past few decades, and now the believers are being tested. Those who are firm in the Covenant and in the Administration under the Guardianship will stand. Those who oppose the Guardianship will fall, and they and their works will come to naught. Let all ponder and think well and deeply with study and prayer. Let each make his or her stand in the Faith.
This is the day of division, when the sheep and the goats are being sorted out, one from the other, and when the wheat and the tares are being separated. We are told in Baha'i holy writ and the day would come when only pure virtue would pass the test and be accepted. The Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha told us of this time when only a few might stand, but following which those who stood firm would arise and carry the Cause to victory after victory.
In that period does the Baha'i Faith now find itself plunged. No one can escape it. It seemingly has come upon the believers with suddenness, as it were, striking the believers all over and around the world and in such a manner that no one individual can escape. Every individual is compelled by force of the circumstances of this situation to take his or her stand either for or against the Guardianship. The division must be clean-cut and decisive beyond a doubt. Therefore, for the safety of the Faith, the Second Guardian now commands all faithful followers to have nothing at all to do with the works and activities of any and all of those who oppose the Guardian of the Faith, the Faith that has been firmly established by the First Guardian of the Faith in the manner directed by the Will and Testament of the Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
Let every firm believer, to whom this Encyclical Letter is addressed, do what he or she can to bring back into the fold of the Faith those who are now following and supporting the violation of the Guardianship. Let him or her make every effort to turn them from their erring way, but if they refuse, leave them to themselves and, with radiant heart, go forth to the people of the world who are awaiting and ready for the Baha'i message of the World Crusade, a message that only the Baha'is, led and protected by the Guardian of the Faith, have to give them.
The Guardian urges every firm believer to take it upon himself to seek out those avowed believers who are confused and who are questioning the Guardianship. Let the firm friends do all they can to help these wavering ones and to confirm them in the Guardianship. But should any refuse and decide to stand with the violators against the Guardian of the Faith, then let the Baha'is separate themselves entirely from these enemies of the Faith.
All true Baha'is should take their stand for the support of the Guardianship of the Faith. Let all see and understand from the pronouncements of the erring former Hands of the Faith that this body stands against the Guardianship.
Let every true and sincere Baha'i forsake this violation, turn to the Guardian of the Faith, and openly, and before the world, avow his allegiance to the present Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, who was appointed Guardian by our late Beloved First Guardian Shoghi Effendi. Then, when that state of unity of the pure Faith is re-established as it was in the day of the Beloved First Guardian, when the Cause is free from violation – then, and not until then, will the victory of the Faith be assured and the way made for the triumphant completion of the World Crusade of the Baha'i Faith.
The confirmation and blessings of El Abha will descend upon all who make this stand under the Guardianship and arise to give this message to the world. Then we can succeed in reaching the goal set by the Beloved Guardian in the World Crusade.
With Baha'i Love to All
Faithfully in El Abha,
MASON REMEY, GUARDIAN
of the Baha'i Faith
POSTSCRIPT
THE BAHA'I FAITH under the Administration of the Guardianship is THE Baha'i Faith – the only TRUE Baha'i Faith! Other organizations, such as the New History Society in New York City, as well as the organizations of the former Hands of the Faith of Haifa, Israel, both of which proclaim themselves to be “Baha’is Sans Guardianship”, should not be considered as Baha'is, for the only true and legitimate Baha'is are those now serving under the Second Guardian of the Faith. These Believers need not trouble themselves at the pretensions, claims, and assertions of those who claim themselves to be “Sans Guardian Baha'is”. You Baha'is under the Guardianship should pay no attention to the declarations of any of the “Sans Guardian” followers, for you are occupied in serving under the infallibly appointed Second Guardian of the Faith and in proclaiming this message to the people of the world. You should ignore all these opposing people.
To reiterate once more in this letter to all Baha'is: The Baha'is under the Guardianship have two very clearly defined duties to perform. They should make every effort to bring into the Faith those who have been led astray by all “Sans Guardian” propaganda; and they should go forth into the world teaching of the fulfillment of Baha’u’llah of the Covenants of the Religious Revelations of the Manifestations of the past ages and calling all people to the Administration under the Guardianship of His Cause that is now engaged in carrying forward the Baha'i World Crusade and giving the message of all the world of the triumphant coming of the Kingdom of God upon earth under the Administration of the infallible Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith.
M.R., G.
of the Baha'i Faith
Orleans, France
9 July, 1960
Dear Baha'i friends,
By this time I am sure that most, if not all of you to whom this letter is addressed will have learned that I, as well as a number of the other believers in France, have accepted Mason Remey as the second Guardian of the Cause of God.
Not having the time to write all of you individual letters and desiring particularly to communicate with a large number of whom I have known for many years, some since the days of my boyhood, I felt the only way to do so would be to write this general open letter which could be reproduced. My reasons for desiring to write you are twofold:
First; I would like to explain for the benefit of all those who have been wondering why I have made this decision (as they may have, for the time being at least, taken an opposing stand) the processes of my own thoughts and research on the question of the Guardianship following the passing of our beloved first Guardian and prior to receipt of the Proclamation of Mason Remey and the clear and undeniable realization which came to me following receipt of this momentous document.
Second; I feel with all the intensity of my being that the only salvation for the continued life of our beloved Faith lies in a close and studied examination of the Proclamation of Mason Remey in a prayerful attitude from an unprejudiced and unbiased viewpoint and in the light of our Sacred Writings and all that our beloved first Guardian wrote on the Institution of the Guardianship. Only in this way can we free ourselves from the influence and viewpoints of others (whatever their position or rank may be) and hope to arrive at the truth and an unfettered decision. Is this not the same process which we have been enjoined to follow in accepting the Faith itself? (i.e. through independent investigation of the truth).
For those of us who have loved and served our first Guardian during his lifetime and have treasured and held dear his imperishable writings and instructions, our foremost desire since his passing has been, I am certain all will agree, to remain faithful and obedient to the instructions he has given us during his lifetime and left with us as an eternal bequest from his infallible pen. The present crisis which faces our beloved Cause, it seems to me, revolves solely around this point coupled with the doubt which many have permitted to creep into their own minds stemming from a lack of faith in the inviolability of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, “the all-mighty Covenant, the like of which the sacred Dispensations of the past have never witnessed”, “one of the distinctive features of this most mighty cycle” and the “Ark of Salvation”. (See pg. 239 “God Passes By”)
Following the passing of Shoghi Effendi and the disclosure that a traditional type testamentary document was not found in his papers, we all heard the following speculations which are not acceptable in the light of the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and all that our beloved first Guardian has written:
a) That the plan of God had been changed and there would never be another Guardian.
b) That the Faith does not need a Guardian any longer.
As for myself, I perhaps found it easier to embrace the second Guardian than most of my fellow Baha'is because, following the passing of Shoghi Effendi, I had been unable to shove the all-important question of successorship to the back of my mind and forget about it but rather I felt impelled to intensify my studies and review again minutely the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the “Dispensation”. This study coupled with searching meditation during many sleepless nights led me to come to the following conclusions concerning the Guardianship which, now as I look back in retrospect, prepared me to approach the Proclamation of Mason Remey with an open mind:
a) The Institution of the Guardianship was essential to the continued existence of our beloved Cause.
b) The view that one heard from some source that the Guardianship had ended with the passing of Shoghi Effendi was completely untenable and could never be accepted from whatever source.
c) The Universal House of Justice could not come into existence and function as an infallible body without the Guardian sitting as its’ “sacred head” in view of the following ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS which Shoghi Effendi had so carefully pointed out in the “Dispensation” are performed by the Guardian as its’ President:
- PROVIDES THE INTERPRETIVE AUTHORITY OF THE SACRED WRITINGS.
- “INSISTS UPON A RECONSIDERATION BY THEM OF ANY ENACTMENT HE CONSCIENTIOUSLY BELIEVES TO CONFLICT WITH THE MEANING AND TO DEPART FROM THE SPIRIT OF BAHA’U’LLAH’S REVEALED UTTERANCES” (This clearly indicates that without the guidance of the Guardian it is possible for this body to pass a law which runs counter to both the meaning and the spirit of Baha’u’llah’s Writings and is therefore fallible without his guidance.)
- DEFINES THE SPHERE OF IT’S LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
- POSSESSES THE SOLE AUTHORITY TO EXPEL A MEMBER WHO COMMITS A SIN INJURIOUS TO THE COMMON WEAL.
d) Mason Remey was the only one who could possibly sit as President of the Universal House of Justice when it came into existence (provided he were living) because of his appointment by Shoghi Effendi as President of the International Baha'i Council (the Head of it’s embryo). This conclusion came to me when in my meditations I recalled a very interesting and highly significant conversation at table with Shoghi Effendi on the evening of November 30, 1952 when my wife and I were on pilgrimage. Shoghi Effendi had been describing the successive stages through which the International Baha'i Council would evolve in its development towards maturity and in speaking about its’ second stage (Baha'i Court, cited by Shoghi Effendi in his message of 25 April, 1951, as an “essential prelude to the institution of the Universal House of Justice”), these were his words:
“THE PRESENT PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL BAHA'I COUNCIL WILL THEN BECOME THE JUDGE” (THE GUARDIAN IN AN ASIDE TO MASON AND WITH A SMILE ASKED, “MASON, ARE YOU READY TO BECOME A JUDGE”)
Note: The above may be verified from hand-written notes taken by me at the table at the time and inscribed in ink in a book of consecutive unattachable pages.
I remembered being puzzled at the time as to why Shoghi Effendi had singled out Mason Remey as “the Judge” when all the other members of the Council were also seated at the table, except one, and I had considered them all as having co-equal status. Now while meditating on the question of who could possibly occupy the position of President of the Universal House of Justice, if it were to be formed, (as obviously someone would have to fulfill this role) it suddenly dawned on me that Mason Remey by virtue of his having been appointed by the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, as President of the International Baha'i Council (the embryo of this body) was the only logical one. What now amazes me, since receipt of the Proclamation, is that, although I had come to this conclusion, I did not, either then, or at any time prior to the Proclamation, carry this conclusion one step further and realize, what then should have been obvious, that as Presidentship of the Universal House of Justice and Guardianship are synonomous titles, Shoghi Effendi’s appointment of Mason Remey as President of the International Baha'i Council during his lifetime was, in effect, identical with naming him his successor. (the embryo with its’ appointed head conceived in the infallible mind of Shoghi Effendi was only awaiting its birth).
With the receipt of the momentous Proclamation of our second Guardian, the final veil was lifted from my eyes and I was led to discover and realize the following additional facts:
a) The tremendous import and significance which Shoghi Effendi had attached to “his epoch making decision” to establish the International Baha'i Council as evidenced in his historic message to the Baha'i world of 9 January 1951 in which he had referred to establishment of the Council “as the greatest event shedding lustre on the second epoch of the formative age of the Baha'i Dispensation potentially unsurpassed by any enterprise undertaken since the inception of the Administrative Order of the Faith on the morrow of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Ascension, ranking second only to glorious immortal events associated with the Ministries of the Three Central Figures of the Faith”.
b) The obvious fact (now that it had been brought to our attention in the Proclamation) that, as Presidentship of the Universal House of Justice is synonomous with Guardianship, (i.e., they are one and the some position) Shoghi Effendi’s appointment of Mason Remey as the President of the Council – the embrionic Universal of Justice – was identical with naming him the future Guardian.
Note: For those who may argue that the third stage of this embrionic Institution (“the duly elected body”) calls for the election of all 9 members, careful thought should be given to the “principle” involved in the “operation” of this Institution for, unlike the National Houses of Justice, of which the present National Spiritual Assemblies are the embryo, the Universal House of Justice combines “the hereditary authority” symbolized by the Guardian – its’ President ~ with the democratic element elected by “the representative of the faithful” (NSA’s). We, as fallible beings, are certainly not empowered to alter this principle and destroy “this divinely revealed Order”, “this unique Order” which “however long it may endure and however extensive its ramifications, cannot ever degenerate into any form of despotism, of oligarchy, or of demagogy which must sooner or later corrupt the machinery of all man-made and essentially defective political institutions. (See pg. 154 “Dispensation”)
c) That the foregoing conclusion is further supported by the words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha concerning the embryo. He said, “the embryo possesses from the first all perfections …..all the powers – but they are not visible and become so only by degrees” (pg. 313, BWF). Therefore, the embrionic Universal House of Justice (the International Baha'i Council) potentially (embrionically) possesses all the powers exercised by the fully developed Universal House of Justice.
d) That as a result of our preconceived idea that Shoghi Effendi’s successor would be named in a traditional-type testamentary document (although this is not prescribed as a requirement in the Will and Testament), we (the Hands included) had overlooked or failed to go back and examine Shoghi Effendi’s message of 9 January 1951 for the key.
e) That, if the Hands had realized the significance and intent of the aforementioned message they would not have found it necessary to create a separate organization called “Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land” (or “Custodians of the Faith” – a term, by the way, applied to Assemblies in the words of Shoghi Effendi on page 331, “God Passes By”). If they had grasped the import of this message which hailed the formation of the International Baha'i Council as the “Forerunner of the supreme administrative institution” they would have realized that the international administration of the Faith should have been placed in its hands while they occupied themselves with their spiritual “obligations” and “responsibilities”, as the chief stewards. Obviously, this Institutions (International Baha'i Council) which Shoghi Effendi had waited so long to establish and whose final formation he had hailed with such joy and been pushed aside and had been all but forgotten (Howbeit unintentionally).
f ) That the separate organization “constituted” by the Hands in their Proclamation of 25 November 1957 (a body of 9 Hands) to reside in Haifa was not the “NINE PERSONS” elected from their own number spoken of in the Will and Testament (as they were selected and not elected). Therefore this body presently in Haifa – this “organization of the Hands of the Faith” has no authority to exist on the basis of the Will and Testament.
g) The Hands in Haifa as time went on inevitably became involved in administrative matters which are clearly outside their domain according to the Will and Testament.
h) That, as the Will and Testament makes very clear and as reemphasized repeatedly by Shoghi Effendi in his writings, the Guardianship is an “hereditary office”, the Guardian “symbolizes the hereditary principle in this Dispensation” and he exercises the “the hereditary authority”. Therefore, the Guardianship can only be handed down from one Guardian to another. (i.e., inherited) The successor in Guardianship cannot be chosen or elected by any other Institution such as the Universal House of Justice or the Hands.
i) That the Covenant of Baha’u’llah had remained INVIOLATE; the CONTINUITY of Guardianship had been preserved. Shoghi Effendi had not only appointed his successor “during his lifetime” but had announced it to the entire Baha'i world.
j) That the Hands are not assigned authority in the Will and Testament but only spiritual “obligations” and “responsibilities”, serving under the direction of the living Guardian of the Faith.
k) That the Hands have no authority according to the Will and Testament to consult with the Universal House of Justice (such as cited in their 4 November 1959 message).
1) That the Hands had interpreted the last message of Shoghi Effendi to the Baha'i world in October 1957 wherein he designated them as the “Chief Stewards”, to confer upon them a role of collective Guardianship of the Faith and had fostered this unwarranted interpretation on the part of the mass of the believers throughout the world. (It is interesting to note that in the last paragraph of this same fateful message, not only the Hands but the “entire body of believers” and “their elected representatives” are all called upon to display a “worthy stewardship of the Faith of Baha’u’llah”.)
Note: For those who insist that “stewardship” denotes authority, your attention is kindly invited to page 143 of “Baha'i Administration” wherein Shoghi Effendi has clearly outlined, in writing about the responsibilities of NSA’s, the difference between authority on the one hand and stewardship on the other.
It need only be said in conclusion that those who continue to accept the self-delegated authority and interpretation of the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land instead of the explicit provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the instructions and appointment of our first beloved Guardian, have only the following to look forward to:
The termination of the Guardianship. (The “Center of the Cause”, the “Guardian of the Administrative Order”, “The Head Cornerstone of the Administrative Order”).
The election of a so-called Universal House of Justice which will not have its sacred appointed HEAD (the Guardian) and therefore, will not be the infallible institution prescribed in the Will and Testament.
The complete absence of a source of divine infallibility.
The annihilation of the Baha'i Faith and the setting up in its place of a man-made religious organization with all the attendant evils found in the past religious organizations.
Whereas, those who accept the second beloved Guardian of the Cause of God:
Praise Baha’u’llah that His Covenant has remained inviolate and the continuity of the Guardianship of His Cause has been preserved as promised.
Have turned to the “Center of the Cause” and sworn fealty to him.
Have preserved the integrity of the Baha'i Faith for the present and future generations.
With warm and loving Baha'i greetings.
Faithfully, in devotion to His Covenant,
Joel Marangella
P.S. What has shocked and distressed me since the issuance of the Proclamation is the obviously superficial manner in which some of the friends have read this document and the first Encyclical letter which followed. Some are saying that Mason Remey is advocating putting aside the Ten Year Crusade when he speaks of “this falacious program for 1963” whereas it is evident he is speaking about the announced program of the Hands to proceed with the election of the Universal House of Justice in1963 (which was never called for under the objectives of the Ten Year Global Crusade given by Shoghi Effendi), or they are saying that in his First Encyclical letter he is claiming the Hands have no authority to exist, whereas, if you read this passage closely, it says: “this organization of the Hands”, which is quite a different matter. The Will and Testament outlines no organization of the Hands, such has been developed by them since the passing of Shoghi Effendi. Nor does this Document prescribe that they meet in conclave or in the consultative meetings to make joint decisions. On the contrary the Will and Testament prescribes that the Hands work as individuals under the direction of the living Guardian of the Faith.
NOTE: THIS OPEN LETTER HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE SECOND GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH FOR APPROVAL PRIOR TO ITS DISPATCH. HE HAS NOT ONLY GIVEN HIS APPROVAL BUT HAS URGED ITS WIDESPREAD CIRCULATION THROUGHOUT THE BAHA'I WORLD, EVEN TO THOSE WHOM I DO NOT KNOW PERSONALLY.
J.B.M.
21 October 1960
Orleans, France
Dear Baha'i friends,
I am writing this second open letter to the believers based on a personal letter which I addressed to a Baha'i friend some time ago. I am doing this at the request of our beloved Guardian as he had been furnished a copy of the aforementioned letter and felt that the arguments set forth therein would constitute a further “document of proof” to the believers. In this letter I should like to discuss certain questions which were not treated in my former letter – questions which I am sure have been in the minds of many, if not most, of the believers, concerning the reasons behind and the causes of the present crisis facing the Baha'i world.
First, before going into these questions, I would like to say that at the time I took my own stand in support of the Second Guardian I felt that a majority of the friends throughout the Baha'i world would not at the outset accept the Second Guardian for the following reasons:
a. The manner of the appointment of Mason Remey by Shoghi Effendi as his successor had obviously been veiled.
b. The Hands in Haifa had immediately rejected his claims and advised all National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the Baha'i world to do likewise.
c. The Proclamation issued by Mason Remey had not been reproduced and given general circulation amongst the mass of the believers by the National Spiritual Assemblies so as to permit the believers to investigate his claims independently and reach their own decisions.
d. In non-English speaking countries there was a dearth of translations of Abdu’l-Baha’s Writings on the Covenant and Shoghi Effendi’s writings on the Institution of the Guardianship (writings which were essential to a full understanding and appreciation of the issues involved).
In the face of the above listed handicaps to recognizing the claims put forth in the Proclamation of the Second Guardian, it would have been surprising indeed if more than a handful of believers had immediately accepted the Second Guardian on the morrow of his Proclamation.
As subtle a test as the Proclamation proved to be to the mass of the believers, it was apparent that it would be even a greater test to the Hands of the Cause because:
a. A majority, if not all, of the Hands had already made up their minds definitely that the Institution of the Guardianship had ceased to exist with the passing of the beloved First Guardian.
b. An acceptance of the Second Guardian on the basis of his Proclamation would necessitate an admission by the Hands that they had lacked the spiritual perception to recognize him during the period since the passing of Shoghi Effendi.
c. Many of them had already revealed the fact that their love for the person of Shoghi Effendi was so great that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to transfer this love to his successor even if the appointment were clear and not veiled.
Why is it that the Baha'i world should be faced with this great test? Most of us had assumed that our period of testing in connection with the Covenant had come to an end following the early years of Shoghi Effendi’s ministry and the consolidation of the Institution of the Guardianship accomplished during his ministry.
For an answer to this question let us go back in time and recall to mind the confusion, despair and consternation which seized the Baha'i world on the eve of the passing of Shoghi Effendi when it was learned that a testamentary document of the type which most of us had anticipated was not found. Even those believers who refused to believe that the Guardianship had ended, instead of retaining their faith that Shoghi Effendi had in some inexplicable way appointed his successor according to the manner enjoined upon him in the Will and Testament, deluded themselves into thinking that the question of successorship would be resolved by the Universal House of Justice when it was formed. I, too, was guilty of this delusion for a time. However, when time was found to study and re-study carefully the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha and the “Dispensation of Baha’u’llah”, the complete falsity of holding such a belief and the impossibility of the Universal House of Justice deliberating upon and resolving such a question became glaringly obvious. It became clear that the believers would either have to maintain their faith that the beloved First Guardian had fulfilled his obligation to name his successor according to the provisions of the Will and Testament, in some way, not as yet clear to us, and despite appearances to the contrary, or face the only other alternative, namely; that the Guardianship had ended. Acceptance of this alternative meant that our Divinely conceived, perfect Administrative Order fashioned by its Master Architect, delineated in the “immortal Document” representing “His greatest legacy to posterity” and “the brightest emanation of His mind” – “the supreme act” associated with His mission, would be for evermore deprived of its Guardian and thereby permanently mutilated and rendered imperfect.
So many of the friends have asked why it was that Shoghi Effendi did not leave a clearly written testament naming Mason Remey his successor which would have left no doubts in the minds of the believers. If we consider this question carefully in the light of the explicit provisions of the Will and Testament it is clear that the Will and Testament does not specify that the Guardian should name his successor in a testamentary document to be opened after his passing. On the contrary, the Will and Testament makes in incumbent upon the Guardian to name his successor during his lifetime. Conceding that this is so, the question then follows, why did not Shoghi Effendi appoint his successor in such a clear way during his lifetime that there would not be any doubt as to his rightful successor and the Baha'i world would not be any doubt as to his rightful successor and the Baha'i world would not now be faced with its present crisis? Without presuming to be able to answer this question, as it is not for the servants of God to question His inscrutable ways, let us ask ourselves this question: What would have been the affect on the believers throughout the Baha'i world had Shoghi Effendi come right out in a clearly announced statement and named Mason Remey, during his own lifetime, as his successor – a man some twenty-five years his senior? If such an announcement had been made, would it not have caused utter consternation and even incredulity amonst the believers? For such an open and clear appointment would have indicated that Shoghi Effendi would not live to an old age, as Mason Remey was destine to outlive him. If for no other reason, was there then not a wisdom in the manner in which Shoghi Effendi chose to accomplish the appointment of his successor in accordance with the sacred provisions of the Will and Testament, while at the same time veiling this appointment and its immediate implications from the believers? It was not the first time in religious history that a Divine appointment has been veiled even from those who have been the closest to the one making the appointment. We need only to call to mind this principle as applied to the appearance of the Manifestations of God down through the ages. Religious history teaches us that rivers of blood have flowed and every Manifestation of God has suffered the direst persecutions and drunk from the cup of martyrdom because the followers of His Predecessor have failed to pierce the veils of love, of pride or their own preconceived ideas concerning the characteristics of the succeeding Manifestation and the manner and conditions of His appearance. And both the Center of the Covenant and the First Guardian were deluged in a sea of tribulations at the beginning of their ministries because of this same failure to understand and to remain steadfast in the Covenant even on the part of many of those closest to Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Baha, including their own families. Does this explain the behavior and opposition of the former Hands of the Cause to this Divine appointment; those, who had been elevated to foremost spiritual rank among the believers by the First Guardian? Could the very love and admiration they have for Shoghi Effendi now be the veil interposing itself between them and the recognition of his appointed successor? If this be so, then is it not reminiscent and characteristic of what has happened in past Dispensations and what transpired following the first two Divine appointments in our own Dispensation? (i.e., the appointment of Abdu’l-Baha as Center of the Covenant, and His appointment of Shoghi Effendi as the First Guardian) Both Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi were made the target of every abuse and were denied, repudiated vilified by the very ones who should have been the first to accept and support them. In connection with this theme, it is significant that the Master should have seen fit to quote in His Will and Testament the Bab’s warning to His followers: “Beware, beware, lest the Nineteen Letters of the Living and that which hath been revealed in the Bayan veil Thee” (pg. 4, 1944 U.S. Edition). Is this, then, the test that now faces the Baha'i the world over, especially those who loved our First Guardian the most – the test of being able to overcome their great personal love for him as an individual and recognize that the Institution which he represented – the Institution of Guardianship – is eternal in this Dispensation and must be adored above all? In this test do we not find the true meaning of steadfastness in the Covenant? Must the history of mankind’s violation down through the ages of the Greater Covenant and the violation of the Lesser Covenant in this Dispensation which we have already twice witnessed be repeated once more in order that we may be forever freed from the worship of the human personality and attach ourselves, instead, to reality? Are we not Baha'is – the followers of the Light? In pursuance of this theme it is appropriate to call to mind the Bab’s words of warning addressed to Vahid, characterized by Shoghi Effendi as the “most learned, most eloquent and influential among his followers” “By the righteousness of Him whose power causeth the seed to germinate and Who breatheth the spirit of life into all things, were I to be assured that in the Day of His manifestation thou wilt deny Him I would unhesitatingly disown thee and repudiate thy faith…If on the other hand, I be told that a Christian who beareth no allegiance to my Faith will believe in Him, the same will I regard as the apple of Mine Eye” (Pg 101, Dispensation).
Can we use preservation of “Divine Unity” as an excuse to oppose and repudiate the second Guardian of the Cause of God, i.e., join with the majority who have opposed and repudiated him because they are the majority and in order to preserve unity? The answer is clear if we but recall what would have happened if this principle had been followed when the beloved Master was struggling against the machinations and evil doings of the archbreaker of the Covenant at that time who was then supported by “almost the entire family of Baha’u’llah” and who had accused Abdu’l-Baha of being an “ambitious, a self-willed, an unprincipled and pitiless usurper, Who had deliberately disregarded the testamentary instructions of His Father …” – they, together with many who had been the closest to Baha’u’llah, “all united in a determined effort to subvert the foundations of the Covenant which the newly proclaimed Will had laid” (See pg. 247, “God Passes By”). And, a second time, we have the example of what happened to our First beloved Guardian who suffered the repudiation of his entire family. If unity had been the principle followed in both of these instances of violation of the Covenant our precious Cause would have long since been destroyed. We only have to refer to the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha for the answer. No, it is unmistakably clear that the principle of unity does not apply when the Covenant is being violated. (See Pg 12 W&T).
And are we to be veiled because there was no Aghsan to inherit the Guardianship? Do we think that the Hand of God was chained and unable to assure the continuance of this Divine Institution ordained by Him for the preservation of His Cause? Does not Abdu’l-Baha answer this question for us, and significantly in His last Tablet to America treating exclusively of the Covenant, when He says: “The Divine Gardener cuts off the dry or weak branch from the good tree and grafts to it, a branch from another tree. He both separates and unites…” (BWF, Pg. 438). What could be clearer than this statement of the Master pointing out how God – the Divine Gardener – changes the bad branch for the good? Are we then, in the face of this statement, prepared to say that the Guardian of the Cause of God, acting under His infallible guidance, is incapable of changing the bad branch for the good in appointing his successor?
And, finally, there is the question of approval and endorsement of the nine Hands elected from their company based on the argument advanced by many that the provision contained in the Will and Testament requiring these nine successor, gives them the authority to overrule the Guardian. If those who advance this argument would search out the writings of Shoghi Effendi they would find the following pertinent statement of his appearing in a letter published in the U.S. Baha'i News of February 1955:
“The statement in the Will of Abdu’l-Baha (the passage in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha which provides for successor to the Guardian and reference is made to the Hands) does not imply that the Hands of the Cause of God have been given the authority to overrule the Guardian. Abdu’l-Baha could not have provided for a conflict of authority in the Faith. This is obvious in view of His own words which you will find on Pg. 13 (Pg. 11, 1944 U.S. edition) of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha. ‘The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to Him who is the gardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent up…..the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness, and subordination unto the gardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One…etc’”
In view of this clear and highly significant statement made by the beloved First Guardian, it is obvious that the argument cited above is completely false and without foundation. How could we have permitted ourselves to think otherwise for the Guardian is infallible in making his appointment. Is he to be opposed or overruled by his fallible assistants? Then you may view Shoghi Effendi’s statement we must search for another significance behind this provision. Without attempting to interpret what this significance is, it is certainly obvious that, as all, including the Hands, are enjoined to be submissive, obedient and lowly before the Guardian of the Cause, any refusal on the part of these nine elected Hands to give their assent would constitute disobedience and disloyality to the Guardian and indicate that they would not be willing to work under the guidance of his successor (should they be living at that time). Under these circumstances the Guardian would have no choice but to expel them. Aside from all this, we know that the present organization of nine Hands in the Holy Land designated by them as the “Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land” or “Hands of the Faith in Haifa” is not the “nine persons” elected from the company of the Hands as provided for in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha. We further know that Shoghi Effendi did not call for this election during his lifetime.
There are many who are still clinging to the hope that the Universal House of Justice scheduled to be formed in 1963 under the plan of the Hands (not being one of the objectives outlined by Shoghi Effendi for the Ten Year Global Crusade) will find a way to the continuance of the Guardianship. Aside from the fact that such a body would not be the Divine infallible Institution described in the Will and Testament without its sacred head – the Guardian – serving as its President (a point which I discussed in detail in my general letter), is not such a hope completely unfounded and a delusion when one considers that the Hands have already definitely made up their minds that the Guardianship had ended and have announced in their message of 4 November 1959 to the Baha'i world that they will sit in consultation with the Universal House of Justice which they are bringing into existence (a right not given them by the Will and Testament) and decide the question of the Guardianship. Does anyone harbor the illusion that their minds are going to be changed in the meantime and that their view will not prevail during such consultation and that we shall find any other decision coming out of this body but that the Guardianship (i.e., the living Guardianship) has ended forever? When this happens, those who have deluded themselves into believing that the Universal House of Justice, formed under the plan of the Hands without its sacred head, is, in fact, the infallible Institution described in the Will and Testament will then be forced to bow to the decision made by this body that the Guardianship has ended, under pain of being labeled a Covenant Breaker. This great deception will have then run its full course and the mass of the believers who have supported this decision will find themselves united in a permanent violation of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah.
If there are any of the believers who may still be unconvinced that the former Hands have not made up their minds that the Guardianship has ended, a few of the multiple evidence might be cited. For the American believers, there was the letter put out by the American Hands in 1958 stating all hope should be abandoned for a future Guardian. More recently, in France, we have the statements made by both Mr. Faizi and Mr. Khadem. Mr. Faizi in meeting with the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of France, who had accepted the Second Guardian, stated emphatically that the Guardianship had ended supporting his contention with a perversion of the well-known passage in the Holy Writings of Baha’u’llah wherein Baha’u’llah states there will not be another Manifestation “ere the expiration of a full thousand years” saying that in the text from which he was reading (Persian and Arabic) and translating, this statement of Baha’u’llah’s also applied to the Guardianship. This was a shocking and amazing statement. It is significant that the Master in the Will and Testament twice refers to the use of this same quotation (pgs. 6 and 8, W &T) by those who violated the Covenant in former times and asks, “can a transgression be imagined more glaring than this, the interpolation of the Holy Text?” Mr. Khadem, in a talk given at the Paris Baha'i Centre, (as reported in the illegal French Baha'i Journal of September 1960), had this to say: “The station of the Guardianship of the Faith is so divine and lofty that one is not even able to conceive it. In order to give an elementary idea of it it is necessary to recall this Prophecy of the Koran which says: ‘In the future Manifestation, the Guardianship will be for God, Himself, the true Lord of the world…” The Bab, Baha’u’llah as well as Abdu’l-Baha have spoken of it.” It is interesting to compare this statement of Mr. Khadems with Shoghi Effendi’s own words contained in the “Dispensation of Baha’u’llah” which Shoghi Effendi states he has written to lay special stress “upon certain truths which lie at the basis of our Faith and the integrity of which it is our first duty to safeguard”. In this document Shoghi Effendi says: “The Guardian of the Faith must not under any circumstances, and whatever his merits or his achievements, be exalted to the rank that will make him a co-sharer with Abdu’l-Baha in the unique position which the Center of the Covenant occupies – much less to the station exclusively ordained for the Manifestation of God. So grave a departure from the established tenets of our Faith is nothing short of open blasphemy.” (Starting with last line on Pg. 150) Then, there are the recent addresses of Ruhiyyih Khanum throughout the United States in which she has reiterated views expressed publically at the Kampala Intercontinental Conference that God had changed His plan with regard to the Guardianship – that is, He has ended the Guardianship. Also in hand is a copy of a letter addressed by former Hand, Mr. Ala’i, to a French believer in which we find this curious statement: “According to the opinion of this impotent one, it is certain that the House of Justice will designate among its members someone to be President who in deference to the Blessed Testament will have the title of deputy director or representative, who will operate in accordance with the duties designated under the House of Justice; but it is certain that he will never be the Guardian of the Cause of God.”
Dear friends, it should be clear and obvious that the only hope and salvation for the Baha'i world in this time of crisis is to closely study again in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha and all that our beloved First Guardian wrote on the Guardianship. Then in the light of these Writings, let us prayerfully read and reflect on the Proclamation issued by the Second Guardian of the Faith and his Encyclical Letters so that we may discover for ourselves how Shoghi Effendi did not abandon this precious, infant Faith of God to the pitfalls of man-made interpretations, plans and institutions, but on the contrary, has preserved the integrity of our glorious Faith in the manner he was enjoined to do under the sacred provisions of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha for both the present and future Baha'i generations.
Very sincerely in my love for His Covenant,
Joel Marangella
“O ye spiritual friends! Firmness (constancy) must reach a degree that if all the souls (Baha'is) be destroyed by the evil wishers and there remain but one, that one singly and alone should be capable of withstanding all who live on earth, and of spreading the fragrance of holiness.” (Pg. 25, Vol. I, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha)
THE COVENANT OF GOD UNDER ATTACK
VIOLATION
CONTENTS
I. VIOLATION – DEVIATION FROM THE
INTENT OF THE COVENANT OF GOD
II. THE GREAT VIOLATION
III. VIOLATION IS A PLAGUE, AND LIKE LEPROSY DEMANDS STRONG MEASURES TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF
HEALTHY SOULS.
IV. PREVENTION AND CURE OF VIOLATION
V. THE COVENANT OF GOD OVERSHADOWS
ALL HUMANITY – NO FORCE CAN WITH- STAND THE ADVENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The following article on “violation” has been written at the request of the Second Guardian of the Cause of God, Mason Remey. It is based on the teachings of Abdu’l-Baha, and the Word of Baha’u’llah. The development of the subject is derived from the letters and the messages of the Second Guardian. Many of the concepts expressed have been gleaned from the conversations of the faithful Baha’is, for the author has an attentive ear. For all of this direct and indirect assistance I am very grateful.
John Carre’
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
I. VIOLATION: DEVIATION FROM THE INTENT OF THE COVENANT OF GOD:
SEPARATION FROM THE CAUSE OF GOD.
1. We must make a decision, whether to follow the Covenant of God or the
schemes of men.
2. Each person must make his own decision in the Faith of God.
3. In this age of applied psychology words are weapons in the art of deception.
4. To be firm in the Covenant we must understand violation.
5. Violation is the cause of misery and despair, individually and collectively.
II. THE GREAT VIOLATION
- Modern civilization has contaminated the hearts of men.
- Orthodox reaction in some believers to tests in faith.
- Effects of mental conditioning.
- Abdu’l-Baha’s warning about the deceptions of violators.
- Mental conditioning of believers to accept end of Guardianship began in 1957,
by certain Hands.
6. Some Hands claim administrative central point is source of unity in Cause
(instead of Guardianship).
7. Hands gradually prepare believers for the time they will take over authority
of Guardianship.
8. Hands take unauthorized right to declare Covenant-breakers.
9. Hand message of November 1959 promises Universal House of Justice in
Ridvan 1963.
10. Hand message of November 1959 mutilates plans of Shoghi Effendi.
11. Hands again advise believers to put Guardianship out of their minds.
12. Hands mutilate Shoghi Effendi’s directives for the evolution and growth of
the Universal House of Justice.
13. Baha'i Courth might or might not be instituted in time between November
1959 and April 1961, say Hands in their message.
14. Hands take on all remaining rights of Guardian.
15. National Spiritual Assemblies surrender their rights to the Hands.
16. Violation is now unlimited.
III. VIOLATION IS A PLAGUE, AND LIKE LEPROSY DEMANDS STRONG
MEASURES TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF HEALTHY SOULS.
1. Violation is a disease of the soul.
2. The rule of the majority is invalidated by violation.
3. Every believer is responsible for his own decisions in matters of faith:
God accepts no other way (Quote from Baha’u’llah).
4. Violators always use unity as a reason others must follow them in their violation.
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS (CONTINUED)
5. National Spiritual Assemblies for promulgation of teachings, but not to decide
individual questions of faith.
6. Hands pervert meaning of certain parts of Will and Testament to make it appear
Guardian must obey Hands to perserve unity.
7. Guardian cuts off violators to protect faithful believers.
8. Hands have no right to overrule Guardian’s decisions or his appointment of a
successor.
9. Recognition of violator.
10. Violators use deception to gain confidence.
11. Violators offer material lures to tempt.
12. Violators always profess innocence and love of the Faith.
13. We must turn away from violators no matter what their rank.
14. Violators seek to divide by infiltration and insinuation.
15. Violators will cause much trouble in the future.
16. Bad associates are always detrimental to spiritual growth, and violators are
the worst possible associates.
17. Violators have left the Faith of their own volition.
18. Covenant of God will always be victorious over violators.
IV. PREVENTION AND CURE OF VIOLATION
1. Knowledge is a source of strength.
2. Violators can cure themselves if they will.
3. Shoghi Effendi told Americans why they were failing on the home front during
the Ten Year Crusade.
4. Weak spirit an easy pretty to violators.
5. We must break from modern comcepts of moral values.
6. Men accept words as reality without searching for truth.
7. Mental hygiene and discipline essential to believers.
8. Violation begins gradually, not suddenly.
9. Detachment must be from the ideas of men as well as material ties.
10. When we eliminate man made concepts they are replaced with the laws and
precepts of God.
11. Love the motivating force of existence.
12. Faith must be based on knowledge and proofs, not on emotions alone.
13. We must keep the vision of perfection fixed in our minds.
14. God shall not be asked of His doings.
15. Baha’is must reach point of strength through love, knowledge, detachment and
faith.
16. Keep vision of God’s Kingdom as well as attributes of perfection in our minds.
V. THE COVENANT OF GOD OVERSHADOWS ALL HUMANITY-NO HUMAN
FORCE CAN WITHSTAND THE ADVENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
1. The Great Violation of 1960, doomed to certain defeat.
2. Resume of failures to previous violations of God’s Covenant.
3. Shoghi Effendi’s forecast of future victories of God’s Covenant.
4. Summary of intent of present violation.
5. Mason Remey, the Second Guardian of the Cause of God, assures the Baha’is
of victory.
APPENDIX 1. TEXT OF SHOGHI EFFENDI’S MESSAGE OF JANUARY 1951
WITH WHICH HE ESTABLISHED EMBRYONIC UNIVERSAL
HOUSE OF JUSTICE
2. HANDS MESSAGE OF NOVEMBER 1959 WHEREIN THEY SET
FORTH THEIR VIOLATION.
3. LETTER OF HAND FAIZI VIOLATING RIGHTS OF ALL
NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES
4. COPY OF TELEGRAM OF HAND FAIZI SENT TO SOME OF THE
BELIEVERS WHO HAD ACCEPTED THE GUARDIANSHIP.
MULTITUDES, MULTITUDES IN THE VALLEY OF
“DECISION: FOR THE DAY OF THE LORD IS
NEAR IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION.
Joel 3:14
I. VIOLATION: DEVIATION FROM THE INTENT OF THE COVENANT OF GOD:
SEPARATION FROM THE CAUSE OF GOD.
“Today whoever is firm in the Covenant, he will become ignited like unto a candle in the assemblage of the world, and the confirmations of the kingdom of Abha will encircle him from all directions.” (Abdu’l-Baha, STAR OF THE WEST, Vol. X. pp. 251 XI. pp. 240-2)
The most important matter in the world today is the Kingdom of God, which is the World Order of Baha’u’llah, which is based upon His Word and defined in His Covenant, and explained in the Will and Testament of the Center of His Covenant. Only through God’s Covenant and His World Order will His Kingdom be established, there can be no substitutions or alterations. The schemes of men have been tried, tried repeatedly, and ended in momentary successes and ultimate failures. We cannot hesitate, the civilization of men is falling, and only God’s Kingdom will remain. We must make our decision: shall we follow the Covenant defined by God, or the schemes of men which are offered as substitutes?
The search for truth is vital, for there is only one correct choice, and deceptions are many; we must strive mightily to discern the truth. We are in the “Valley of Decision”; and each individual is responsible for his own decision. Only through application of the principles of Baha’u’llah can we see the truth, for He has warned us that we must leave behind the ways and words of men, and use His teachings as the touchstone of truth. Those that fail to do this are of the lost, and only by a return to the Word of God will they find guidance to the right decision.
In this age of applied psychology deception is an art, and the tools are words which play upon the weaknesses of men, manipulating minds, appealing to emotions, and conditioning masses into planned reactions. Those are the weapons of violators, and we must seek the reality which is often hidden behind the smoke of words. Our decision is important to our own spiritual existence.
The subject of violation is of vital importance, in this year 1960 or in the future. Violation is present in all degrees, and if we learn what it is and how to eliminate it in ourselves and in the community we become free of veils and obstacles that hinder growth. “Be ye assured with the greatest assurance that, verily, God will help those who are firm in His Covenant in every matter, through His confirmation and favour, the light of which will shine forth unto the east of the earth as well as the west thereof. He will make them signs of guidance among the creation and as shining and glittering stars from all horizons.” (EUROPEAN TEACHING CONFERENCE MANUAL, 1948, pp. 48-50) Firmness in the Covenant requires an understanding of violation, so that we do not become involved in the slightest deviation from the Covenant of God.
For the service of the friends of God this article on violation is presented, to show how the Great Violation came about and what we may do as individuals to prevent a reoccurance of similar disasters in the future. Although the Covenant of God will never be defeated or successfully subverted, yet the attempts to destroy that which God has ordained cause the friends great sorrow and suffering which we should henceforth avoid by building a defense of knowledge and steadfastness.
***********************************
II. THE GREAT VIOLATION
“This is the sealed and mystic Scroll, the repository of God’s irrevocable Decree, bearing the words which the Finger of Holiness hath traced, that lay wrapt within the veil of impenetrable mystery and hath now been sent down as a token of the grace of Him Who is the Almighty, the Ancient of Days. In it have We decreed the destinies of all the dwellers of the earth and the denizens of heaven, and written down the knowledge of all things from first to last. Nothing whatsoever can escape or frustrate Him, whether created in the past or to be created in the future, could ye but perceive it.” (Baha’u’llah, GLEANINGS, Baha'i Pub. Committee, 1944, Wilmette Ill., page 281)
The recurrent crises that have afflicted humanity in general, and the same maladies that have caused the Baha’is to wander away from the Faith may, in part, be traced to “conditioned” ways of thinking, a psychology of modern civilization which is leading to the downfall of that civilization. Because of these conditioned reflexes, ingrained ways of approaching every problem, which have been the heritage of modern man, the Baha’is were unable to shake off the chains of a dying era, and to avoid the cataclysmic violation which so recently severed the majority of the believers from the Faith of Baha’u’llah.
All Baha’is recognized in an abstract way the evils of nationalism, racialism, materialism, present political systems and all the other destructive prejudices. Unfortunately, this recognition has been so abstract that the believers, failing to rid themselves of all taints of these concepts, have fallen into the same errors as the mass of humanity. They have been victimized by words used by ambitious men for their own devious ends, failing to make the search for the reality required by Baha’u’llah as an essential to true faith. They have been conditioned by the clever use of words and slogans into set patterns of thinking, and chained by their automatic responses, reacting to the Baha'i Faith in much the same way as the followers of other religions react toward their faiths. Clearly such an approach to the Baha'i Faith is unacceptable, and can lead the believers who cling to these man made forms of reasoning away from the Cause of God and into violation the instant they are faced with a real test.
Thus it was, when the Baha’is were faced with a question that demanded honest investigation and clear thinking, they were not equipped to face the test. Failing to obey the often repeated warning of Baha’u’llah to break the chains of man made reasoning, they approached a problem in faith with tools already condemned by Baha’u’llah, and completely inadequate in questions of faith. “They cling to false and rejected words, and are deprived and withheld from the sea of Divine verses.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH, Baha'i Pub. Com., 1956, page 185). “The world is in confusion, and the opinion of men are discordant.” (IBID, page 179).
Unable to penetrate the veil of words, and plagued by a tendancy to rationalize (distort reason to fit prejudgements) the believers were easy prey to a systematized campaign on the part of the violating HANDS, aimed at the destruction of the Guardianship, and the substitution of their fallacious program for 1963. By repeated innuendoes, avoidance of discussion of the real institution of the Guardianship, suppression of all articles explaining the institution of the Guardianship, and by gradual deviation from the directives of Shoghi Effendi relative to the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice, the violating Hands have led the believers along the path of violation by systematized conditioning with words alone. Through the clever use of propaganda they have persuaded the believers to accept the end of the hereditary successorship of the Guardianship. In addition to this they have been able to assume powers resembling the powers experienced by the priesthood of the Christian and Muhammaden religious organizations. Now, reigning as high priests over the national assemblies, these same Hands have been given complete freedom by the believers to direct the destiny of the Cause of God as they erroneously imagine it should be!
Abdu’l-Baha warned us of these methods used by violators! “There are some people of self-will and self-desire who do not communicate their selfish intentions to you in a clear language. They secretly and by insinuation do this…The purpose is this, that some people shall come before you in order to secure something in their own favor. Be ye greatly upon your guard, so that no one may infringe upon the oneness of Baha’u’llah’s Cause.” (ABDU’L-BAHA IN NEW YORK, Reviewing Com. of the NSA of America, 1912, page 8) Is it possible that Baha’is could believe that in these days the violators would use any other than devious methods to further their aims? Had the believers been strong in their knowledge of the Faith, had they been familiar with the Will and Testament, the violation of the Hands would have been stopped dead, the moment their intentions became clear. As it is, the mass of the believers have given their support to the plans of the violating Hands, changing the Cause of God into an organization resembling that of the principal Christian sect.
For the sake of future generations of Baha’is some of these messages of the Hands must be mentioned. From these words of the Hands, when compared with specific instructions and limitations of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, as well as the directives of the appointed interpreter, Abdu’l-Baha, as well as the directives of the appointed interpreter, Shoghi Effendi, it is clearly seen how the Hands have systematically assumed rights and laid plans far exceeding their limitations set up by Abdu’l-Baha. Moreover, in telling the friends to abandon hope for an appointed Guardian, and to turn to them for guidance, they gradually assumed the position in the minds of the believers where they could begin to take on to themselves the rights and prerogatives of the Guardianship.
The conditioning began immediately following the death of the beloved first Guardian, Shoghi Effendi; “Since a successor could only be chosen and designated by Shoghi Effendi in his own lifetime, the friends must dismiss all hopeful expectation that a will appointing a second Guardian may later be found.” (Call for Unified Understanding, by Ruhiyyih Khanum, Amelia Collins, A.Q. Faizi, A Furutan, Paul Haney and Jalal Khaseh, Baha'i News, U.S.A., August 1958) This statement of the violating Hands was spread broadcast around the Baha'i world by means of the travelling Hands and the Auxiliary Board members who agreed with it. (Not all of the Auxiliary Board members did agree, for this writer knows of two who recognized this as a denial of the Covenant.) The intent was to prepare the friends for the end of the Guardianship, and to steer the believers away from searching out an appointment of the Guardian made by Shoghi Effendi. The statement is harmless enough taken by itself, but in conjunction with other messages issued before and after, the growth of the violation in the minds of the Hands, and the conditioning of the believers preparatory to the issuance of the November 1959 message of the Hands becomes clear..
The next phase was to present the Hands as the Center of the Cause, a title used by Abdu’l-Baha when referring to the Guardian. This could not be done by direct statements, since the intent would have been too obvious, and immediately following the death of the first Guardian, many would have then objected. Instead the Baha’is were informed that they should rejoice over the continuation of the Guardianship through Shoghi Effendi directing us from the spirit world: “Let us also rejoice with grateful hearts over the truly remarkable measure of Divine protection vouchsafed to us since the passing of our beloved Guardian, an unfailing sign that Shoghi Effendi’s spirit is with us, guiding and inspiring the believers everywhere, and assisting us to achieve total victory in the Holy Crusade bequeathed to us by him.” (Call for Unified Understanding, Baha'i News, August 1958). This sentiment was repeated in several messages from the Hands, expressing a belief remarkably similar to that of the early Christians who believed that they were forever united and protected through the Spirit giving them infallible guidance in their group meetings. No mention was made of Shoghi Effendi’s warning that without the institution of the appointed Guardianship, “the World Order of Baha’u’llah would be mutilated and permanently deprived of that hereditary principle…” (THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHA’U’LLAH, by Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Pub. Com., 1944 page 148.) Thus far the Hands stressed the end of the Guardianship and the concept that Shoghi Effendi is guiding us from the spirit world, especially the Hands, for are they not engaged in the most important work? “The great waves of prayer and loving confidence which have come pouring in to us from the national spiritual assemblies and the believers all over the world, have reassured us and sustained us, and have given us strength and courage as we labor to protect the World Center and maintain it as the unifying hub of the great wheel of the Cause our Guardian so carefully built up and set in motion. This has given us assurance that our Guardian himself is aiding us to aid him.” (Most Important Work, signed by Ruhiyyih, A.Q. Faizi, A. Varqa, A. Furutan, Paul Haney, and Wm. Sears; Baha'i News (USA) October 1958.)
Thus was the end of the hereditary Guardianship conditioned into the minds of the believers, and the insinuation built up that the Hands being safely guided by Shoghi Effendi’s spirit, and through location at the “hub of the great wheel,” they therefore have special spiritual powers and they are the focal point of unity, inferring that the Faith remains united and secure simply by the presence of the Hands at the administrative center. (Consequently, implying that contrary to all that Shoghi Effendi repeatedly said, the Guardianship is not required to prevent schism! If this kind of reasoning were valid anyone can guide the Faith simply by being at the center of administrative activity, and the entire World Order of Baha’u’llah can be altered at will, because, if we follow such reasoning, the schemes of men are as good as the Divine Plan! The entire argument which Baha’is have for proof of the uniqueness and inviolability of the Faith, proof that it will never be torn by schism because God has given us the appointed interpreters, is discarded and the violators say that the organization used by the Christian churches is just as good and can be used instead of the World Order of Baha’u’llah!) Having launched their campaign to subvert the World Order of Baha’u’llah, working to supplant the Guardianship in the minds and hearts of the believers with their own “Hands in Haifa” concept mentioned above, the Hands began simultaneously to condition the believers into accepting the authority which the Hands intended to gradually take on to themselves.
Again, since this entire plan is contrary to the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, the Hands had to grasp and reins of authority slowly, trying all the while to make the friends believe that this was really the intent of Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi, even though neither of them had ever given the Hands any personal authority whatsoever in any written documents. The believers were asked to read “between the lines” , for it was stressed that it should be clear to all that Shoghi Effendi intended to give them all this authority even though he never said so directly! Any believers who had slight doubts as to the validity of such authority were reminded that “Shoghi Effendi’s own spirit remained with us, guiding and protecting us…” (Message of Hands to Fifth International Baha'i Conference in Singapore, appearing in Baha'i News, November 1958 (U.S.A.)). In their messages the Hands speak of “clearly established” rights and authority that are not mentioned by Shoghi Effendi or Abdu’l-Baha: “In those successive passages, dear friends, the Guardian clearly established an international body of twenty seven Hands of the Cause endowed with authority to consult and take appropriate measures to meet the crisis which, with the Guardian’s passing, overtook and indeed overwhelmed the world community of Baha’is. Of this vitally important fact we may have full assurance.” (Message of Hands to 1957 State Conventions, signed by Corinne True, Horace Holley, and Paul Haney. Baha'i News (U.S.A.) January 1958) This statement is perfectly valid up to the part “of the Cause,” but the “endowed with authority to consult and take appropriate measures” is where the deception by the Hands is apparent. It is curious to note that these Hands assure the friends that they can have full assurance of “this vitally important fact,” when the fact is non-existent! This is the type of mental conditioning and propaganda tactics used throughout modern society to put across false concepts, to make people believe in non-existent things simply by assuring them that they do exist!
By inference, the idea was to cause the friends to identify the appointed group of Hands in Haifa with the Guardianship. This, as we have seen, they began by giving themselves non-existent authority (which they did not really attempt to use until November 1959) through identification of the administrative center with the “Center of the Cause” (which we know is the title of the Guardian), and by insisting that Shoghi Effendi was providing them with special guidance. What remained now was to tie in all of the above misconceptions with a final misrepresentation, the identification of the appointed group in Haifa with the Guardianship!
“…and then as you know, the Guardian himself, just a little while before he passed on, constituted them the chief custodians” (the Hands) “so that they could qualify under the Will and Testament to appoint a body of nine as the Will and Testament describes, and be recognized by the Faith.” (Message to State Conventions in America, by Corinne True and Horace Holley. Appears in Baha'i News (U.S.A.) dated January 1959). Those believers who are not deceived by word magic see clearly that possession of a title does not automatically give any Baha'i rights and privileges beyond those mentioned in the Will and Testament! The fraudulent part of the above statement is “so that they could qualify under the Will and Testament to appoint a body of nine,” and anyone who reads the Will and Testament will see that there is no mention of the Hands “appointing” a body of nine. They used the title “Chief Custodians” for awhile, gradually substituting the appellation “Hands in Haifa,” which ties in better with the concept of causing the believers to automatically make word associations (Haifa-Center-Hub-Center of Unity-Hands-Spirit guidance of Shoghi Effendi-Safety with Hands-Full Assurance-Authority!)
One cannot assume that the violation of the Hands began with a plan, except for the concept of ending the Guardianship. This was seen in the very first messages. The methods used to convince the believers to follow them in this violation, and to condition the minds into acceptance of the Hands as a substitute for the Guardian at this period, must have been worked out in the minds of a certain few of the Hands, and accepted by the others without much resistance. These are things we do not know, for we can only see the methods used in their messages sent out to the Baha'i world, and from their messages they reveal their intentions. How their mind worked it is impossible for us to say. Moreover, this is not our problem; we are concerned in seeing how this violation came about so that it cannot reoccur.
Enlarging still more on their assumed authority, the Hands took on the right of defining who is a Covenant-breaker, a right that may some day be theirs according to the Will and Testament, but which Abdu’l-Baha and after Him, Shoghi Effendi, specifically withheld from all individuals and assemblies. “The American Hands and the members of the Auxiliary Boards…stand ready to deal with any evidence of Covenant-breaking…” (Message to State Conventions in America, by Corinne True and Horace Holley. Appears in Baha'i News (U.S.A.) dated January 1959) is their assurance to the believers. Here, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, we see that they do not have this right: “The Guardian, like the Master before him, has not considered it advisable to as yet permit any person or Assembly to put another person out of the Cause of God” and, “no one but himself can pronounce a person to be in that diseased condition we call ‘Covenant-breaking’, and no one but he can reinstate a Covenant-breaker” (Letter from Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of the U.S.A., Appears in Baha'i News (U.S.A.) dated June 1949). Of course, on the basis that they are taking over the functions of the Guardian, their act becomes understandable.
This entire process of conditioning the minds took the Hands two years, and then they felt the time ripe to take over complete and open direction of the Faith, assuming with their November 1959 message all of the remaining rights of the Guardianship for directing the destiny of the Cause of God. This, of course, did not give them infallibility, but they, in their messages, promised the Baha’is that the Universal House of Justice, as designed by them, would be infallible, promising this despite the fact that anyone who reads the Will and Testament can see that such a promise lacks validity. By very elementary reasoning one can see that infallibility only comes to the Universal House of Justice through the appointed Guardianship! (See THE WORLD ORDER OF BAHA’U’LLAH by Shoghi Effendi)
This promise they repeated in their November 1959 message: “Alarmingly little time is now left to us in which to accomplish his design. Well aware of the fact that this great Faith of Baha’u’llah stands in sore need of the erection of that infallible and supreme legislative body which, in the words of the Center of the Covenant Himself ‘God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error;…” (November 4, 1959 message signed by 22 Hands and appearing in Baha'i News (U.S.A.), in December 1959 (SEE APPENDIX) Such a statement taken by itself is extremely misleading, and the Baha’is were easily misled. When one investigates the institution of the Universal House of Justice as Abdu’l-Baha described it, it is only freed from all error when formed according to His infallible instructions, with an appointed Guardian as its President. The Baha’is should also remember that Shoghi Effendi set up the International Baha'i Council in 1951, six years before he died, and it remained in its embryonic form until his death, thereafter remaining inactivated because of the actions of the Hands. Why, in 1959, just three years before the date in 1963 which the Hands set as a deadline is there this sudden frenzy of wild activity, and why, suddenly, is there alarmingly little time? Strange that more believers were not struck by this incongruous action; even though to check back to see if this was a part of the Ten Year Crusade! The violation was a success, the conditioning of minds had borne fruit, and the Baha’is were led away from the Faith into the wilderness of violation.
The Hands, no longer following the plans left by Shoghi Effendi, plans which they themselves had shortly before described as “everything we need” (Talk by Ruhiyyih Khanum in London, Baha'i News, March 1959. “The Guardian has left us everything we need; we should hold to the Guardian’s plan, the Ten Year Crusade. This is the last plan we shall ever have from Shoghi Effendi.”), now began to boldly issue directives of their own, and to mutilate the Guardians existing plans. “We have therefore formulated the following plan of action which will enable the Baha'i world to establish the Universal House of Justice in 1963, and which we now share with our fellow believers,” …and… “the Hands of the Cause…made plans embracing these final steps which they feel must be taken by all the followers of Baha’u’llah in the East and West…” (November 4, 1959 message of 22 Hands) If the Hands were following the directives of Shoghi Effendi, it would not be necessary for them to have “formulated the following plan of action” nor to have “made plans embracing those final steps which they feel must be taken.” It is quite clear that in the Ten Year Crusade there is not a single mention of establishing the Universal House of Justice in 1963. What is most peculiar to witness is that the believers who blindly follow the violating Hands, now actually believe that this was part of Shoghi Effendi’s plan for the Ten Year Crusade! Thus do we see how faith founded on ignorance and apathy is worse than no faith at all, for it has led to violation of the Covenant of God.
With this reckless plunge into complete violation the Hands again warn the friends to put the Guardianship out of their minds: “At this turning point in the Crusade when all our forces must be unitedly concentrated on winning its goals, the friends should not be deflected from the vital tasks confronting them by discussion of such subjects as can only be considered when the Universal House of Justice is established. Therefore we feel it is necessary to recall the words in the Proclamation we sent out after the passing of the beloved Guardian: ‘When that divinely ordained body comes into existence all the conditions of the Faith can be examined anew and the measures necessary for its future operation determined in consultation with the Hands of the Cause. This includes the subject of the Guardianship.” (Message of November 1959 signed by 22 Hands, as well as the Message of Shoghi Effendi 9 January 1951) Now, in their first Proclamation the Hands did not say this included the Guardianship, but now they say it does, and imply that we should have known this all along! What it amounts to is an attempt to once more divert the attention of the friends away from what they are doing to the institution of the Guardianship, for fear that someone will discover their intent. Later events proved their fears groundless, very few Baha’is restudied the teachings and some have forgotten what they learned when they first studied the Faith.
The mutilation of the Guardian’s plans is centered on the formation of the Universal House of Justice, and the destruction of the appointed Guardianship. “We are also happy to announce that another milestone in Baha'i history will be reached with the election of the International Baha'i Council during Ridvan 1961…” We reached this milestone in 1951 when Shoghi Effendi himself appointed the International Baha'i Council; now the Hands inform us that Shoghi Effendi erred, and that we won’t reach it until 1961! “This International Baha'i Council is to work under the direction and supervision of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land, serve a two-year term of office, and cease to exist upon the occasion of the election of the Universal House of Justice.” (Message of November 1959 signed by 22 Hands) Shoghi Effendi never once gave direction and supervision of the International Baha'i Council, created by appointment in 1951, over to the Hands of the Cause. Moreover, since the International Baha'i Council is the embryo of the Universal House of Justice, its appointed President is now Guardian. Here, then, any just person can see how the Hands have violated the Covenant by disobeying the first Guardian Shoghi Effendi, and in their effort to destroy the institution of the appointed Guardianship, and consequently the real Universal House of Justice (for if it is without the appointed Guardian it ceases to be the Universal House of Justice as defined by the Master).
In the same message of November 1959 the Hands speak of the International Baha'i Court, which Shoghi Effendi described as the second stage in the evolution of the Universal House of Justice. They say they will make every effort to establish this court, but that the friends should bear in mind that this goal “might not be achieved.” Now, we know that Shoghi Effendi considered this as one of the essential steps in the evolutionary growth of the Universal House of Justice, yet here the Hands propose to establish the court in the one year period between the announcement of their plans and the formation of their unauthorized International Council! Everyone who considers this matter thoughtfully will recognize that to establish a court, teach all of its members their duties, give the court sufficient time to mature and properly function – will be impossible to accomplish in the time allowed by the Hands for this important phase. Is this why they assure the friends that it “might not be achieved”? What more will they do!
Filled with confidence when the vast majority of the Baha'is endorsed their violation, the Hands immediately took all the remaining authority of the Guardianship, acting to suppress all obedience to the appointed successor to Shoghi Effendi, the second Guardian Mason Remey. When the National Spiritual Assembly of France recognized the Guardian of the Cause of God, and sent out his Proclamation with related information (including the telegram of the Hands in Haifa denying the Guardianship) so that each believer might make his own decision, (Proper procedure) the Hands in Haifa dispatched A.Q. Faizi as their agent, with directions to dissolve the N.S.A. of France. As all Baha’is should know, all of the constitutions of the national spiritual assemblies throughout the world are modeled after that of the National Spiritual Assembly of America. In Article IX of the Declaration of Trust of the Baha'is of the United States, it is stated that decisions of the National Spiritual Assembly are subject to review by the Guardian of the Faith or by the Universal House of Justice. (BAHA'I PROCEDURE Baha'i Pub. Committee, Wilmette, Ill.; 1942, 106) This is the same article IX which appears in the Declaration D’Association Cultuelle of the National Spiritual Assembly of France (Art. IX). The Hands have never been given the right to reverse the decisions of a National Spiritual Assembly, nor have they the authority to dissolve any assembly, in fact, they have no authority of their own, according to the Will and Testament. (WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ABDU’L-BAHA, Baha'i P.C., Wilmette, Ill.; 1944 pages 12-13)
A.Q. Faizi, as agent of the Hands in Haifa who were directing this violation of the rights of the National Spiritual Assembly in France (and thereby depriving all the national assemblies of their rights, who, by their lack of objection to the act, gave acknowledgement to this newly assumed authority of the Hands), issued the following message: “I have discovered, by their own declaration, that the following five members (whom he lists) who form the majority of the National Spiritual Assembly, in opposition to their pact of faithfulness to the institutions divinely ordained, are disobedient to the institution of the Hands of the Faith.” (Letter from A.Q. Faizi to all Baha'is of France, sent from Paris 8 May 1960) Now, as all Baha'is should know, the spiritual assemblies do not hold the same spiritual rank as the Hands, but they are most certainly not required to be obedient to the Hands. One can search from now until eternity for any mention of such a principle in the Will and Testament, and in the end be obliged to admit that it doesn’t exist; nor does it exist on any other written document of Shoghi Effendi or Abdu’l-Baha. The rights of the Hands are limited to carrying out the orders of the Guardian, but not to issuing orders, and are only in the spiritual field of activity. But the friends should read the Will and Testament for themselves.
Surely, the national spiritual assemblies, directed to work in “Cooperation” with the Hands by Shoghi Effendi, must be aware that now it is no longer cooperative action. They have surrendered their rights to the Hands, and now must act according to their directives. The acts of violation of the Covenant that we have described have all occurred between the period since the death of the beloved first Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, up to May, 1960. A more detailed accounting will be made in subsequent years.
The violation is now in the open, and the Hands have assumed full authority and are in command of the violating believers. The national spiritual assemblies have surrendered their stations and their dignity to the center of violation. How few of the believers heeded the emphatic warnings of Shoghi Effendi, often repeated, of the potential disaster overtaking the body of believers! “As the lights of liberty flicker and go out, ad the din of discord grows louder and louder every day, as the fires of fanaticism flame with increasing fierceness in the breasts of men, as the chill of irreligion creeps relentlessly over the souls of mankind, the limbs and organs that constitute the body of the Faith of Baha’u’llah appear, in varying measure, to have become afflicted with the crippling influences that now hold in their grip the whole of the civilized world.” (THE ADVENT OF DIVINE JUSTIC by Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Pub. Com., 1940; page 4)
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N.B. We wish to remind the reader that we do not know at this time who wrote the messages sent from Haifa, and the mere fact that a particular Hand signed a message is not necessarily evidence of violation. None of the messages, taken alone, up to the message of November of 1959 signed by 22 Hands, is prime-facie evidence of intent to violate the Covenant. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate to the reader how violation grows and infects a community, like a virulent disease, but there is no intention to name names. Only the Guardian can do this, and for such information the reader must turn to the written messages of Mason Remey, the second Guardian of the Cause of God.
III. VIOLATION IS A PLAGUE, AND LIKE LEPROSY DEMANDS STRONG MEASURES TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF HEALTHY SOULS.
“The rule of the majority applies in all Baha'i administrative matters with the exception of the violation of the teachings and of the principles of the Faith. Where and when the traces of violation become apparent there should be no uniting whatsoever with the violators. Such is the Baha'i teaching. If there are Baha'is who do not understand this, let them turn to the Will and Testament and to the other teachings of the Master Abdu’l-Baha, and they will find this principle of the cutting off from all association with the violators clearly taught and explained.”
Mason Remey (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO THE BAHA'I WORLD, by Mason Remey, Wash. D.C. July 1960)
The friends who have followed the violating Hands are uninformed about the truth of several important matters in the Faith, and this is due to a lack of study. One of the grave misconceptions is that for the sake of unity they must follow the majority decisions (See quote at top of the page) but if this were true they should never have joined the Faith at all, for the majority of the people of the world are not believers in the Cause of God. From this it is clear that when the majority is in error there is no excuse for following in the path of that majority, for this is unacceptable before God. Call to mind the clear warning of Baha’u’llah regarding this fallacy of the believers: “If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be asked: ‘Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and turned away from My Self,’ and if such a man should reply and say: ‘Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, I, too, following their example have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal,’ such a plea will assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself.” (GLEANINGS, Baha'i Publishing Com., 1944, p. 143)
From this it is seen that every one must think for himself in matters of faith, and for interpretation of the Word of God it is clear from God’s Covenant that the only one qualified for final and definite interpretation is the infallible Guardian. Hence, no one can make a decision of whether to turn to the right or to the left in their faith except the person himself. It was only possible to so mislead the friends because they do no know the contents of the Will and Testament, nor the similarities between the deeds and words of past and present violators.
One of the claims made by all violators, whether in the past or in this day, is that they must be followed in their violated for “the sake of Divine Unity”! “Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Baha’u’llah) be repeated when the Center of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others.” (WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ABDU’L-BAHA, Baha'i Pub. Com., 1944, p. 12) If the friends will read the Will and Testament they will see this warning by Abdu’l-Baha, and not be deceived by such a hypocritical claim on the part of the violators. Of what value is unity if it means unity in violation? In truth, such unity is temporary and is the pathway to disintegration, destruction and misery. The only safety for man is to obey the Covenant, and this he cannot do unless he knows the contents of the Covenant.
A second misconception, stemming from the first, is that the friends must follow every decision of the national spiritual assemblies, for the sake of unity. This is derived from the fact that a spiritual assembly, if it is truly spiritual, will be guided by God, and if it makes an erroneous decision, we must even then follow that decision for in time it will be corrected, and through this obedience we preserve unity. Only a complete misunderstanding of the purpose of the national spiritual assemblies, a lack of knowledge of their limitations and the extent of their authority could have caused the believers to obey their assemblies in the act of Covenant-breaking! The intent and purpose of the spiritual assemblies is to teach the Faith, and to coordinate the efforts of the friends in this endeavor (in time they evolve into House of Justice, to handle temporal matters). Never have they been given the right to determine the individual decisions in matters of Faith, and they have never, God forbid been given the right to interpret the Divine Text. Never have they the right to determine who can be or who cannot be the Guardian of the Faith, nor do they have the slightest right to interfere in the friends’ spiritual decisions, made between them and God, accepting or turning away from the Guardian.
Another misleading and destructive misunderstanding has been deliberately fostered by certain of the violating Hands, achieved by tearing a quotation out of context for the purpose of altering its meaning, was spread about France by one of the Hands: “Souvenez-vous encore des paroles du Maitre dans son Covenant quand il dit: ‘Si quelqu’un dans le groupe des Mains ou en dehors, desobeit et cherche la division, il connaitra la colere de Dieu et Sa vengeance, car il aura cree le schism et la division dans la vraie Foi de Dieu…!” (SUPPLEMENT AU JOURNAL BAHA'I DU MOIS DE MAI, 1960, Vol 2, No. 6, Annee 117, Centre National, 11 rue de la Pompe, Paris, 160, France.) The full quotation is given in footnote 2 below so that it may be seen that the most important part is left out namely that this obedience of the Hands must be to the Guardian, and not to the illegal group calling themselves the Hands in Haifa. By misuse of this quotation the Hands deliberately mislead the believers! Such a deliberate perversion of the Covenant is difficult to believe, yet it is true! What they have done is to reverse the real and obvious meaning of the statement from the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, stating that the friends must believe that Mason Remey, because he was a Hand prior to being Guardian, he must obey the Hands. This leads to the obvious reversal of the meaning originally intended, making the Guardian obey the Hands instead of the Hands obeying the Guardian!
On the basis of this fallacious and perverted interpretation of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha the Hands charged the Guardian with causing a split in the Cause of God, when it was their own act of violation that made it vital to isolate them from the faithful believers! Mason Remey, the Guardian of the Cause, responded to this fantastic charge, and cut off the violators: “The Hands of the Cause accuse me of attempting to create a split in the Cause - - as if this were a bad thing for the Baha'i Faith! I am indeed making a split in the Faith, for I am separating the diseased from the healthy living spiritual organisms of the body of the Baha'is. Such was the manner in which the Blessed Master saved the Faith in His day and the Beloved Guardian saved the Faith in his day.” (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO THE BAHA'I WORLD, by Mason Remey, July 1960)
Carrying this perversion of the Will and Testament a step further the Hands claimed that Mason Remey did not have their approval to be the Guardian, and therefore he could not have the position, for, they argue, the appointed Guardian must have the permission of the Hands to be the Guardian! This ridiculous argument was parroted by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States in a message sent by them to all parts of the Baha'i world: “Remey Proclamation unauthorized by Hands in Haifa and repudiated by NSA. Sad situation will be resolved by chief stewards.” (Letter to the Baha'is from the N.S.A. of America, dated 11 May 1960 and signed by Charles Wolcott, secretary of the N.S.A. of America) How tragic that the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States could be so ignorant of the teachings, for it was in their own journal, the Baha'i News, that the following statement from a letter of the first Guardian appeared: “The statement in the Will of Abdu’l-Baha does not imply that the Hands of the Cause of God have been given the authority to overrule the Guardian. Abdu’l-Baha could not have provided for a conflict of authority in the Faith. This is obvious, in view of His own words which you will find on page 13 (p. 11 of 1944 U.S. edition) of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha…” (Letter from Shoghi Effendi to Rex King, dated 6 June 1954 and appearing in Baha'i News (U.S.A.) Feb. 1955)
From the facts we have mentioned concerning the violators involved in this Great Violation, it is clear that they must have committed every act committed by the violators in the time of Abdu’l-Baha and during the lifetime of Shoghi Effendi. All of this is described in the Will and Testament of the Master, and therein are also given all of the steps that must be taken to prevent the spread of this plague of violation. One of the preliminary steps is recognition of the violators, and in this year 1960 there can be no doubt whatsoever concerning the instigators of the violation. The only remaining danger is identification of those strange types who assume false names, pretend to be ignorant of events, and who creep about under the cover of their own darkness hoping to spread the disease of their perverted souls by assuming the guise of lambs until they penetrate into the confidence of the faithful believers. Although the faithful believers can well imagine some of the peculiar pre texts and methods that are used by these creatures of intrigue, yet it is well to re-examine some of the signs mentioned by Abdu’l-Baha whereby they betray their real intent and perverted spirits.
Already some of the friends who obey the Covenant have been approached by a few of these strange, diseased beings, who attempted to gain their confidence. In His last Tablet to America, the Master speaks of a warning given by Baha’u’llah: “He says – ‘It is clear that before long Satan, in the garb of man, will reach that land will try to mislead the friends of the Divine Beauty through temptations which arouse the desires of self, and will cause them to follow the footsteps of Satan away from the right and glorious path, and prevent them from attaining the Blessed Shore of the King of Oneness.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH Baha'i Pub. Committee, Wilmette., Ill.; p. 430) One of the signs, is, then, the fact that these veiled spirits will appeal through materialistic symbols to the servants of God, offering wealth, or power, or whatever else they believe might lead others to deviate from the path of God.
A second sign is excessive protestations of innocence and piety; “Therefore, it is incumbent upon all the friends of God to shun any person in whom they perceive the emanation of hatred for the Glorious Beauty of Abha, though he may quote all the Heavenly Utterances and cling to all the Books.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH; p. 430) Beware those who swear to their innocence by the Blessed Beauty, using the name of Baha’u’llah as a symbol of their sanctity, for it is clear that light is its own proof of existence, and needs no oaths to guarantee its reality. “An ugly man may call himself handsome, but he deceives no one…” (ABDU’L-BAHA IN LONDON, Baha'i Pub. Society, The Unity Press, 1912j, London; page 109) We prove our sincerity by our acts, and not by oaths, for oaths are merely words and have no meaning when not supported by reality. “But when you see a person living up to the teachings of Baha’u’llah, living up to the teachings in the Hidden Words, know ye that verily I proclaim that he is of me - -“ (ABDU’L-BAHA IN NEW YORK, Baha'i Pub. Com. New York City, 1931; page 9)
Violators are spiritually dead, and have no rank or station. “My purpose is to convey to you that it is your duty to guard the religion of God, so that none shall be able to assail it either outwardly or inwardly. If you see injurious teachings coming from an individual, no matter who that individual may be, even though he be my own son, know ye verily that I am quit of him. If you see anyone speaking against the Covenant, even though he be my own son, know ye that I am averse to him.” (ABDU’L-BAHA IN NEW YORK, page 9) We must never forget this warning, “no matter who that individual may be”; if any person speaks against the Covenant we must avoid that person, for he is spiritually diseased. Only through renouncing his violation, and passing through a period of proof, culminating with his reinstatement by the Guardian of the Cause of God, can a person return to the Cause when once he is declared a violator.
Beware those people who do not say honestly and openly what their intentions are! “There are some people of self-will and self-desire who do not communicate their selfish intentions to you in a clear language. They secretly and by insinuation do this…(ABDU’L-BAHA IN NEW YORK, page 8) In the Cause of Baha’u’llah there is no secrecy, the truth cannot be hidden, the facts are available to all people, and we are taught to speak openly and sincerely in all of the affairs of the Faith. All must turn to the Covenant of God, and the Center of the Cause, and no one whose intentions are worthy need speak in whispers, or by innuendoes convey their thoughts.
Why must we be so cautious, and why must we sever ourselves from the diseased? The answer is clear in Abdu’l-Baha’s own words: “Abdu’l-Baha is extremely kind, but when the disease is leprosy, what am I to do? Just as in bodily diseases we must prevent intermingling and infection and put into effect sanitary laws – because the infectious physical diseases uproot the foundation of humanity; likewise one must protect and safeguard the blessed souls from the breaths and fatal spiritual diseases; otherwise violation, like the plague, will become a contagion and all will perish. In the early days, after the Ascension of the Blessed Beauty, the center of violation was alone; little by little the infection spread; and this was due to companionship and association.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH, Baha'i Pub. Com., Wilmette ILL., 1956, page 438) Violation, then, is like a virulent plague, and like a physical disease means isolation of the infected parts, and this means that the faithful souls must have nothing whatsoever to do with the violators. (“nothing whatsoever” indicates that we should: a. Discontinue correspondence with violators, b. Refuse to accept letters and newspapers of violators, c. Terminate all business arrangement, d. Avoid their companionship) “…the violators of the Covenant are people whose aims are known to all the friends. Yet, O glorious God, they are deceived by them.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH, page 432)
This is a principle that the faithful friends must impress upon their souls, for in the days ahead they will be harassed by the Covenant-breakers far more, perhaps, than they realize. These violators will strive to hinder the teaching work and to lead astray the believers who are new to the Faith. It will be, then, our primary duty to strengthen new believers against the forces of violation. When one considers the extent of the present Great Violation it becomes evident that even after they are scattered and crushed by the Covenant and Will of God, there will be a residue of violators yet awhile. These souls will be filled with bitterness, and will seek to cause as much harm as possible. For this reason we must understand the principle of isolation.
In all the teachings of Baha’u’llah we find His warning that association with people of evil intent is destructive to our own spirit, for to develop in the path of God we must always seek pure and spiritual companions. Just as in physical disease we do not cure by placing healthy persons next to the diseased, for this is the cause of contaminating the healthy persons; so also in spiritual disease, these lepers are not cured by our companionship, we become infected through them! “In short, from these Holy Utterances and those of His Holiness Christ, it becomes clear, evident and proved, that man should associate with people who are firm in the Covenant and Testament, and befriend the pure ones; because bad associates bring about infection of bad qualities. It is like leprosy; it is impossible for a man to associate and befriend a leper and not be infected. This command is for the sake of protection and to safeguard.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH, page 437)
In conformance with this principle, the Guardian cut off the violators from those faithful to the Covenant and the Center of the Cause: “Therefore, it is necessary now, at this time, that I, Guardian of the Faith call all believers to separate and to cut themselves off completely from the direction of the Hands of the Faith and from participation in any way or form or manner with them in their plans for 1963…” “…in order to maintain the purity and spiritual strength of the Cause, I, your Guardian, insists that the Faithful followers of the Baha'i Faith comply with this order to maintain a most firm stand against any violation of our Faith and to sever all connections with and support of those who violate the Faith.” (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO THE BAHA'I WORLD, by Mason Remey, July 1960)
This act, which has been necessary in the time of Baha’u’llah, Abdu’l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, and now Mason Remey, may appear harsh to some, but in reality it is the greatest mercy and kindness. (“Now the Nakazene say that Abdu’l-Baha is despotic, drives some people out and excommunicates like the Pope. This is not so at all! Any person who has left (the Cause) did so because of his own actions, intrigues and evil plots.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH, page 432) This Cause is from God, and is not intended for this generation alone, therefore it is of utmost importance to preserve it in its purity and integrity. Moreover, for the sake of the faithful believers, they must be guarded against spiritual disease, for those who violate the Covenant have of their own will turned away from the Cause of God. These violators have not been put out of the Cause, they have left the Cause on their own volition, and the act of cutting them off is in reality a preventative measure to keep them from infecting the friends. “The way of the Baha'i Faith is difficult. At all times one must be awake to its perils, and particularly so in times of crisis such as the one in which the Faith now finds itself; for, at this present time the very existence and the future of the Faith upon earth hangs in the balance…Even though we be but a mere handful - - a very small number of followers faithful to the Covenant and Administration of the Guardianship - - we, with all the world in violation against us, must stand together and support the Guardianship…Not only must we do this for our own sakes and for the present existence of our Faith; but it must be done for the Faith in ages to come…” (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO THE BAHA'I WORLD by Mason Remey, July 1960)
It is especially important that we be firm in the face of the Great violation of this time, “for if we fail now and allow the Guardianship to pass out of existence and this spiritual line of heritage to become extinct, future generations will have no Cause. All infallible divine guidance will be at an end.” (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO THE BAHA'I WORLD by Mason Remey, July 1960) We who stand firm against the violating masses have nothing to fear, for: “even though all the rest of the world be against us, nothing can destroy this Cause so long as even a small few believers stand in support of the Guardian and the continued Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith.” (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO THE BAHA'I WORLD by Mason Remey, July 1960)
“It is evident that the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant and nothing else. Had the Covenant not come to pass, had it not been revealed from the Supreme Pen and had not the Book of the Covenant, like unto the ray of the Sun of Reality, illuminated the world, the forces of the Cause of God would have been utterly scattered and certain souls who were the prisoners of their own passions and lusts would have taken into their hands an axe, cutting the root of this Blessed Tree. Every person would have pushed forward his own desire and every individual aired his own opinion! Notwithstanding this great Covenant, a few negligent souls galloped with their chargers into the battlefield, thinking perchance they might be able to weaken the foundation of the Cause of God: but praise be to God, all of them were afflicted with regret and loss, and ere long they shall see themselves in poignant despair.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH, Page 425)
ADDENDUM TO CHAPTER III
DEFINITION OF “WAVERING BELIEVERS”
BY THE GUARDIAN OF THE CAUSE
“By ‘Wavering Souls’ is meant those who are confused and bewildered - - not being sure which way to go for or against the Guardianship. Those who have either not studied the Baha'i Holy Teaching or if they have, have not understood the application of the commands in the Will and Testament and the application of these commands to their dilemma.
“These ‘wavering ones’ we should try to enlighten and save them from the violation.
“When one is found to be firm in (their) violation and refuses to harken to us, they should then be shunned and left to themselves, hoping that (later) they may have a change of heart.”
(signed) MASON REMEY
(Letter from Guardian, Mason Remey, to John Carre, dated 25 Sept. 1960)
IV. PREVENTION AND CURE OF VIOLATION
“Wherefore it is incumbent upon all Baha’is to ponder this very delicate and vital matter in their hearts, that, unlike other religions, they may not content themselves with the noise, the clamor, the hollowness of religious doctrine. Nay, rather, they should exemplify in ever aspect of their lives those attributes and virtues that are born of God and should arise to distinguish themselves by their goodly behavior. They should justify their claim to be Baha’is by deeds and not by name. He is a true Baha'i who strives by day and by night to progress and advance along the path of human endeavor, whose most cherished desire is so to live and act as to enrich and illuminate the world, whose source of inspiration is the essence of Divine virtue, whose aim in life is so to conduct himself as to be the cause of infinite progress. Only when he attains unto such perfect gifts can it be said of him that he is a true Baha'i. For in this holy Dispensation, the crowning glory of bygone ages, but the living of a life that will manifest all the perfections and virtues implied in such belief…” Abdu’l-Baha (BAHA'I WORLD, Vol. 1, p. 12; DIVINE ART OF LIVING, Baha'i Pub. Com. 1944 Wilmette, Illinois; p. 25)
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While it may be true that the Hands were the instigators of the violation one is force to admit that the majority of the believers were very easily beguiled into accepting the violation. One cannot dismiss this mass submission simply by saying: “They were helpless because it was a spiritual disease which no one is capable of resisting!” To the contrary, every Baha'i could have resisted the violators and the violation, had they been better grounded in their knowledge of the Faith. The fault lies with every individual, and Shoghi Effendi, in repeated messages warned the friends that they must strengthen their faith, and break away from the evils of present day society (The Advent of Divine Justice is one example). If they had heeded his messages they would have studied the teachings, understood the Covenant, recognized the infallibility of the appointed interpreters, understood the limitations of the Hands, and they would have been able to recognize the clear truth of every statement of the second Guardian. In bried, if they had made greater effort to discover what it is they profess to believe they would, most probably have been safe from the disease of violation.
It is also an undeniable truth that those who have followed the Hands can if they be fully determined to seek out truth, throw off the disease of violation. This return to health requires of those who seek truth to make a great effort, by themselves, to break away from the verbal and mental chains with which they have been bound by the violation. With unswerving determination they must apply the principles of honest reasoning and independent investigation of reality demanded by Baha’u’llah. This effort requires, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, that “the imponderable, the spiritual factors, which are bound up with their own individual and inner lives…” be subjected to “…constant scrutiny, continual self-examination and heart-searching on their part, lest their value be impaired or their vital necessity be obscured or forgotten.” (ADVENT OF DIVINE JUSTICE, by Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Pub. Com. 1940, Wilmette, Ill., page 18)
In July of 1956, the beloved Shoghi Effendi, first Guardian of the Faith, made the following observation and warning to the believers: “It is evident that one of the reasons that the work on the home front in America is so seriously lagging is that the Baha’is themselves, although undoubtedly devoted, loyal and conscientious, are not always very deeply grounded in the spiritual fundamentals of their Faith. This produces a maladjustment, so to speak, in the nature of their service to the Cause, and only through a deeper understanding of their Faith and the inner spiritual strength that this understanding brings will they be able to reinforce themselves to meet their tasks, to see the joy of discharging their duties and grasping their privileges.” (Letter from Shoghi Effendi, dated July 1956; Baha'i News (U.S.A.) Sep. 56)
These warnings were heeded by very, very few believers, and by failing to apply these principles of faith they become weaker, instead of stronger. A weak spirit is easy prey to the first germs of violation and subject to vacillation and debilitating doubts. THIS IS ALWAYS TRUE NOW OR LATER.
One of the most urgent requirements is that the friends sever all attachments to the concept of modern civilization, for these ways of thinking and living do not approach the high degree of purity, sanctity and integrity demanded of Baha’is. The World Order of Baha’u’llah is a new civilization and only the best features of the past remain; all the failings which have caused so much misery and spiritual deprivation in contemporary society must be eliminated, and replaced by conduct based on the Word of God and suited to a new race of men. There is no other way, for the World Order of Baha’u’llah is to be made up of a race of men with Baha'i attributes, which cannot be attained except by detachment from all previously held concepts of life which do not fit into this Order. “Judge ye fairly the Cause of God, your Creator, and behold that which hath been sent down from the Throne on high, and meditate thereon with innocent and sanctified hearts. Then will the truth of this Cause appear unto you as manifest as the sun in its noon-tide glory. Then will ye be of them that have believed in Him.” (GLEANINGS, Baha'i Pub. Com., Wilmette, Ill.; p. 10)
Consider but one of the principal failings of modern man, the willingness to accept as truth whatever they hear repeated frequently, without real thought of investigation. This has resulted in sorrow, confused thinking, warfare and now, violation. This can be traced to our failure to look beyond words to he reality; our willingness to accept words as reality in themselves! Thus has language, which should be a means of communication by recognized symbols, become a veil to men, a means of hiding truth, for they accept the symbols as reality (Refer to LANGUAGE IN THOUGHT AND ACTION, by Hayakawa, as well as THE TYRANNY OF WORDS, by Stuart Chase; both from Harcourt, Brace and Co., for a better understanding of the dangers and benefits of language.). To discover truth words should be accepted only when they describe an existing reality with accuracy; it is for this reason that the principle of the independent investigation of truth is ALWAYS APPLICABLE, NOW OR IN THE FUTURE. When we open the Hidden Words, one of the first admonitions we see is that we must practice justice; “By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor.” (BAHA'I WORLD FAITH, page 156) Man must search out truth for himself, look beyond words for the reality. Failing to do this, accepting words without searching out facts, leads to violation and grave injustice, and self-destruction.
To grow to be worthy of this new age, to develop the qualities which are prerequisites of citizenship in the World Order of Baha’u’llah, demands a mental discipline and hygiene to which most people are not accustomed, and which most are unwilling to attempt. Yet, it is vital to Baha’is that they make this effort continuously, for only by so doing will they develop purity and strength, steadfastness and faith, and gain true freedom of the spirit. This does not mean external displays of “trying to be good”, even though this is necessary. What is meant is real mental hygiene; constantly eliminating all destructive and prejudiced thinking, all petty feelings and thoughts, until only Baha'i attributes remain in our thinking and acting. It is quite true that this is difficult to do, but it is not enough to say “I believe”, for God is well aware of our every thought and act, and if we fail to make efforts toward improvement it is not hidden: and a test will come to prove our faith and sincerity.
Violation of the Covenant is not a disease that springs suddenly on an unsuspecting believer, but is an insidious, creeping thing that begins in apathy and indifference. True, certain individuals are suddenly deprived of reason by a surge of jealousy or ambition, but this may be traced to the fact that they never worked hard enough to suppress these negative urges, nor to replace them with reality, which is positive. “Oh how blessed the day, when aided by the grace and might of the one true God, man will have freed himself from the bondage and corruption of the world and all that is therein, and will have attained unto true and abiding rest beneath the shadow of the Tree of Knowledge!” (GLEANINGS, page 156)
We have mentioned that we must constantly strive to attain the attributes of a Baha'i, that we must break through the barrier of words to the truth and that we must give up the psychology of a sick and disintegrating society. Many have halted their progress at this point, unwilling to admit or to recognize the inadequacy and sickness of the psychology of materialism and nationalism. As a result, they were easy victims of violation. “Watch over thyself, and follow not the footsteps of the people, Meditate diligently upon the Cause of thy Lord. Strive to know Him through His own Self and not through others.” (GLEANINGS, page 148)
Consider how often Baha’u’llah has told us to eliminate from our minds and hearts the ways of thinking and living common to modern man: “Put away…the things ye have devised and to which ye cleave, and take firm hold on the precepts of God, that haply ye may attain that which he hath purposed for you, and be of them that pursue a right course.” (GLEANINGS, page 127) “None have believed in Him except them who…have shattered the idols of their vain imaginings and corrupt desires and entered the city of certitude.” (GLEANINGS, page 12) This does not imply that we go about empty headed, but that we must learn from the teachings how God would have us think, and then resolutely eliminate any other ways of thinking - - so that only God’s laws and precepts govern our minds and hearts. “O friends! Be not careless of your high destiny. Suffer not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts have devised.” (GLEANINGS, page 196) “He is truly wise whom the world and all that is therein have not deterred from recognizing the light of this day, who will not allow men’s idle talk to cause him to swerve from the way of righteousness…”(GLEANINGS, page 168)
What has hurt the sentiments of most believers in this day is the requirement of detachment from material things! Shoghi Effendi told the friends to leave the large cities or suffer both material and spiritual loss, but they disobeyed for the most part (their first step into violation) because they could not bear to leave and break their material ties! Modern man believes that wealth and fame are signs of nobility, but Baha’u’llah tells us that nobility comes from the qualities of the spirit. Modern man believes that personality, symmetrical faces and bodies, earthly pomp and power, are all true guarantees of nobility; but Baha’u’llah says that we should rejoice in our freedom of any attachment or desire for these symbols. If we permit our minds and spirits to be attached to such earthly symbols, we can never rise above them! “Say: If ye be seekers after this life and the vanities thereof, ye should have sought them while ye were still enclosed in your mothers’ wombs…” (GLEANINGS, page127) When we attain this freedom, which some call “sacrifice” but which is actually “attainment”, we have cleared the foundation upon which steadfast and unshakeable faith may be constructed.
If we free ourselves from all of the foregoing attachments, as we must, and replace all the earthly, limited ways of thinking and living with the powerful laws and precepts of God, we become more and more aware of the love of God. “Return them, and cleave wholly unto God, and cleanse thine heart from the world and all its vanities, and suffer not the love of any stranger to enter and dwell therein. Not until thou dost purify thine own heart from every trace of such love can the brightness of the light of God shed its radiance upon it, for to none hath God given more than one heart…Cleave thou, therefore, with the whole affection of thine heart, unto His love, and withdraw it from the love of any one besides Him, that He may aid thee to immerse thyself in the ocean of His unity, and enable thee to become a true upholder of His oneness.” (GLEANINGS, pg. 237) Through meditation will come realization that herein is the secret of all love, for God is the real and only Source of love, attraction and affinity. Freed from earthly concepts and limitations of love we discover that our power of love in augmented, and any lingering traces of envy or self begin to disappear. (In this connection we might well remember that to constantly remind the friends that they do not love each other enough produces little results. Until they realize the love of God, such reminders are ineffectual, but when they do realize the love of God, such reminders are unnecessary. Love of God is the end of loneliness.) This unlimited and real love is essential to our spiritual life and development, and Baha’is should consider its implications, for it is a key.
Once the friends recognize that they must turn to God with detachment and the entire strength of their hearts and minds, they cannot fail at that moment to see the meaning of faith and steadfastness. Faith must be founded on knowledge, for otherwise it is weak and disappears at the first sign of opposition. This is what happened in this great crisis, this Great Violation of 1960, the storm of tests came and uprooted the believers whose faith was not founded on certainty of knowledge. But it is axiomatic that to attain true knowledge of the Faith with its resultant assurance and steadfastness, we must learn detachment and turn to the love of God. “Build ye for yourselves such houses as the rain and floods can never destroy, which shall protect you from the changes and chances of this life.” (GLEANINGS pg. 261)
When Abdu’l-Baha described to us how we must study and learn the Faith, He clearly stated that we must use all of our powers of reasoning and meditation: “Day and night you must strive that you may attain to the significances of the heavenly Kingdom, perceive the signs of Divinity, acquire certainty of knowledge and realize that this world has a Creator, a Vivifier, a Provider, and Architect - - knowing this through proofs and evidences and not through susceptibilities - - nay, rather through decisive arguments and real vision; that is to say, visualizing it as clearly as the outer eye beholds the sun.” (THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE, Exec. Board of the Baha'i Temple Unity, 1922, Chicago, Ill.; page 222) With the vision of perfection constantly in our minds, detached from earthly limitations, with a faith based on love and knowledge, our house is built upon a strong foundation, capable of resisting the storms of violation and tests.
One of the basic elements of faith is contained in this statement by Baha’u’llah: “Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that ‘He shall not be asked of His doings’…He that hath acknowledged this principle will be endowed with the most perfect constancy…Such is the teaching which God bestoweth on you, a teaching that will deliver you from all manner of doubt and perplexity, and enable you to attain unto salvation in both this world and the next.” (GLEANINGS, pg. 86-87) We study the Word of God to learn His Will, and we can never impose our limitations on His Will. “It behoveth thee to consecrate thyself to the Will of God. Whatsoever hath been revealed in His Tablets is but a reflection of His Will. So complete must be thy consecration, that every trace of worldly desire will be washed from thine heart. This is the meaning of true unity.” (GLEANINGS, pg. 338)
* * * * * * * * * *
If the mass of believers had believed these principles and applied them, they would have been protected against violation. Because they did not reach this point of strength, they added their own limitations to the Will of God, violated the Will and Testament, disobeyed Shoghi Effendi, and turned away from the appointed successor, Mason Remey, and now are aiding the Hands in their attempt to destroy the World Order by substituting their own plans of administration.
“What matters most is that within the Baha'i Fold there be those who understand the Faith, for in knowledge there is safety and spiritual power. Knowledge of the teachings shows the believers how to teach and spread the Faith. Without this knowledge, and the accompanying wisdom that goes with it, one is at the mercy of every violator of the Faith, who one may chance to meet, and he will be unable to protect himself from this violation.” (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO BAHA'I WORLD, by Mason Remey, July 1960)
This is the point in faith that all Baha’is must reach, and it is here that they attain to steadfastness and absolute assurance. “Such must be thy steadfastness in the Cause of God, that no earthly thing whatsoever, will have the power to deter thee from thy duty. Though all the powers of earth be leagued against thee, though all men dispute with thee, thou must remain unshaken.” (GLEANINGS, pg. 339) We must at all times fix our gaze on God, visualizing His Kingdom and the establishment of His World Order, with the certainty born of knowledge that His Word will be fulfilled and His reign on earth established.
V. THE COVENANT OF GOD OVERSHADOWS ALL HUMANITY – NO FORCE CAN WITHSTAND THE ADVENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
“These people (promoters of schism) are like the froth that gathers on the surface of the sea; a wave will surge from the ocean of the Covenant and through the power of the Abha Kingdom will cast this foam ashore…These corrupt thoughts that emanate from personal and evil intentions will all vanish, whereas the Covenant of God shall remain stable and secure.” Abdu’l-Baha (STAR OF THE WEST, Vol X., pg. 95)
Ever since the inception of the Faith of Baha’u’llah the forces of envy of darkness have attacked His Mighty Covenant, and have been forced to retire from the field of battle shattered, bewildered and defeated. Read the history of the Cause of God and you will see the fate of violators! Each new phase in the evolution of the Cause of God has witnessed the attack of people who oppose God’s Will, and in each instance their doom is certain, for none can withstand the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth, the establishment of the World Order of Baha’u’llah. Now we are entering one of the most significant and portentous stages of development in the history of the Faith, the establishment of the Universal House of Justice, and the opposition to the Will of God and His Covenant has reached its greatest fury, for with the establishment of this Universal House of Justice we enter a new Age, and the old, dying order is in the agony of its death pangs. This is the battle of Armageddon, when the forces of darkness will meet their defeat before the onrushing legions of the Cause of God, and the Ark of His Covenant will be recognized by all men, and the light of the Glory of God will fill the earth.
Consider the violators who arose against the Center of the Covenant and brought so much sorrow into the life of the Master, Abdu’l-Baha, Implacable in their hatred, unrelenting in their attacks, filled with dreams of personal glory and hope of destroying the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, they were doomed to ultimate defeat, failure and ignominious shame and disgrace. In 1951 the beloved Shoghi Effendi, cabled to the Baha'i world “Divine retributive justice is strikingly demonstrated through a series of sudden, rapid, devastating blows sweeping over leaders and henchmen of breakers of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant, foiling the schemes, leveling the hopes, and well-nigh extinguishing the remnants of the conspiring crew which dared challenge the authority, succeeded in inflicting untold sorrow and assiduously plotted to disrupt the Will and Testament of its appointed Center.” (Message to the National Convention of the United States, 1951, Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi, dated April 25, 1951) In 1952 Shoghi Effendi sent the following message: “Inform National Assemblies that God’s avenging wrath having afflicted in rapid succession during recent years two sons, brother and sister-in-law of Arch-breaker of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant, has now struck down second son, Siyyid-Ali Nayer Afnan, pivot of machinations, connecting link between old and new Covenant-breakers…” (Message from Shoghi Effendi dated April 5, 1952. Appears in Baha'i News (U.S.A.) of June 1952.)
Notwithstanding the clear and undeniable appointment of Abdu’l-Baha as the Center of His Covenant, these deranged and deluded souls arose against the Master and violated the Covenant. Then, after His Ascension they continued their attacks against His Will and Testament and the appointed Center of the Cause, the beloved Shoghi Effendi. They were joined by others who hoped for power and glory, and in time even the entire family of Shoghi Effendi, unable to submit to God’s Will, and filled with envy, turned away and violated the Covenant of God. Their reward has been deprivation of all rank and station, and ultimately they meet their end in misery and disgrace. Such has been the history of violation of God’s Covenant, for Baha’u’llah has assured us that no one can stand against the irresistible might of His Covenant, and those who turn against the Covenant are crushed beneath the onrushing might of the Word of God, destined to give birth to God’s Kingdom on earth.
In his book, God Passes By, we find the following prophetic words of our first Guardian: “Whatever may befall this infant Faith of God in future decades or in succeeding centuries, whatever the sorrow, dangers and tribulations which the next stage in its world-wide development may engender, from whatever quarter the assaults to be launched by its present or future adversaries may be unleashed against it, however great the reverses and setbacks it may suffer, we, who have been privileged to apprehend, to the degree our finite minds can fathom, the significance of these marvelous phenomena associated with its rise and establishment, can harbor no doubt that what it has already achieved in the first hundred years of its life provides sufficient guarantee that it will continue to forge ahead, capturing loftier heights, tearing down every obstacle, opening up new horizons, and winning still mightier victories until its glorious mission, stretching into the dim ranges of time that lie ahead, is totally fulfilled.” (GOD PASSES BY, by Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Pub. Com., Wilmette Ill., 1944, page 412)
Arising to defend the Cause of God against the attacks of the violating Hands, the Guardian, Mason Remey, issued his historical Second Encyclical Letter to the Baha'i World. Clearly defining his position and unequivocally stating the degree of violation being perpetrated by the Hands, the Guardian warns the Hands to immediately desist from their violation, give up their fallacious program for 1963, and forecasts the final victory of the Guardianship and the Covenant of God: “…we of the Baha'i Faith have all assurance that in this great day of God His Kingdom is to triumph in all of its activities…In the end the Cause will triumph over all.” (SECOND ENCYCLICAL LETTER TO THE BAHA'I WORLD, by Mason Remey, July 1960)
THE END
APPENDIX
I. COMPLETE TEXT OF GUARDIAN’S MESSAGE ESTABLISHG EMBRYONIC UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE (MESSAGE ISSUED IN JANUARY 1951)
“Proclaim National Assemblies of East and West weighty epoch-making decision of formation of first International Baha'i Council, forerunner of supreme administrative institution destined to emerge in fullness of time within precincts beneath shadow of World Spiritual Center of Faith already established in twin cities of Akka and Haifa. Fulfillment of prophecies uttered by Founder of Faith and Center of Covenant culminating in establishment of Jewish State, signalizing birth after lapse of two thousand years of an independent nation in the Holy Land, the swift unfoldment of historic undertaking associated with construction of superstructure of the Babs Sepulchre on Mt. Carmel, the present adequate maturity of nine vigorously functioning national administrative institutions throughout the Baha'i World, combine to induce me to arrive at this historic decision marking most significant milestone in evolution of Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha’u’llah in course of last thirty years. Nascent Institution now created is invested with threefold function; first, to forge links with authorities of newly emerged state; second, to assist me to discharge responsibilities involved in erection of mighty superstructure of the Babs Holy Shrine; third, to conduct negotiations related to matters of personal status with civil authorities. To these will be added further functions in course of evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Baha'i Court, its transformation into duly elected body, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice, and its final fruition through erection of manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center destined to arise and function and remain permanently established in close neighborhood of Twin Holy Shrines. Hail with thankful, joyous heart at long last the constitution of International Council which history will acclaim as the greatest event shedding lustre upon second epoch of Formative Age of Baha'i Dispensation potentially unsurpassed by any enterprise undertaken since inception of Administrative Order of Faith on morrow of Abdu’l-Baha’s Ascension, ranking second only to glorious immortal events associated with Ministries of the Three Central Figures of the Faith in course of First Age of most glorious Dispensation of the five thousand century Baha'i Cycle. Advise publicize announcement through Public Relations Committee.” (signed) SHOGHI
Haifa, Israel
9 Jan. 1951 From Baha'i News (U.S.A.) of Feb. 1951
II. COMPLETE TEXT OF THE MESSAGE OF THE TWENTY TWO HANDS SENT OUT TO THE BAHA'I WORLD IN NOVEMBER 1959 WHEREIN THEIR VIOLATION OF THE COVENANT IS CLEARLY AND DEFINITEY STATED……
“Dearly beloved Friends:
The Hands of the Cause gathered in the precincts of the holiest spot on the entire planet have, after long and prayerful deliberations, made plans embracing those final steps which they feel must be taken by all the followers of Baha’u’llah in East and West in order to bring to a successful conclusion the World Crusade of our beloved Guardian.
Alarmingly little time is now left to us in which to accomplish his design. Well aware of the fact that this great Faith of Baha’u’llah stands in sore need of the erection of that infallible and supreme legislative body which, in the words of the Center of the Covenant Himself ‘God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error,’ and which the Guardian said, ‘posterity will regard as the last refuge of a tottering civilization,’ we have fixed the date for the election of the Universal House of Justice as Ridvan 1963, coinciding with the termination of our glorious World Crusade and the celebration of the Most Great Jubilee commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the declaration of Baha’u’llah.
As we look back over the past two years which have elapsed since that unforgettable and heart-breaking moment when we realized our beloved Guardian had been taken from us, we cannot but marvel at the protection which has been vouchsafed this Holy Cause. As one man, the believers have rallied to the support of their Faith, closed their ranks, stood firm in the hour of supreme test, and arisen to carry forward the World Crusade. The enemies of the Cause have been powerless to harm it, so complete has been the unity between the Baha’is of the world, so strong the confidence and support with which they have surrounded the Hands of the Cause. The numerous properties and resources of the Faith have been completely protected: the Government authorities of the State in which the World Center is situated have acknowledged the stewardship of the Faith, as represented by the Hands of the Cause serving in the Holy Land on behalf of the Chief Stewards; the National and Regional Assemblies have supported, assisted and worked in the closest cooperation with this nucleus of Hands resident at the World Center; a great wave of pioneers, unprecedented since the inception of the Crusade, has arisen and is even now beginning to pour out to those goals most urgently in need of settlers and teachers; the temples, so dear to the heart of the beloved Guardian, are in two continents rapidly reaching completion, and in a third, plans for its erection are now at long last being implemented. Profoundly thankful and encouraged as we are for these manifold blessings showered on us from On High in our hour of greatest darkness and need, we are nevertheless aware that from this instant until the end of the World Crusade there can be no rest for any of us if we are to achieve the goals of the Crusade.
We have therefore formulated the following plan of action which will enable the Baha'i world to establish the Universal House of Justice in 1963, and which we now share with our fellow believers.
We call for the election in Ridvan 1961 of the twenty one National Spiritual Assemblies of Latin America which will constitute some of the pillars of the Universal House of Justice in that region. This historic decision is based on the fact that we have every reason to hope and believe the devoted band of the followers of Baha’u’llah in those countries will succeed during the Ridvan period of 1960, in forming those Spiritual Assemblies required of them by our beloved Guardian in the specific provisions he laid down for them in the World Crusade. Reports we have received from the Hands of the Cause who have visited those countries during the past year, as well as from the four Regional Assemblies responsible for the work in that area, have convinced us the time is ripe to make this joyous announcement to the Baha'i world. We therefore urge the two Regional Assemblies of South America and the Regional Assembly of Central America, as well as that of the Greater Antilles, in collaboration with the Hands of the Cause in the Western Hemisphere, and the National Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, to concentrate their attention, during remaining months of this Baha'i year, on insuring that those local assemblies which form the bedrock of these future National Bodies may be formed next April.
In studying the world-wide state of the Ten-Year Plan, we have been forced to realize that the election of the eleven independent National Assemblies which must, in accordance with the Plan of the Guardian, be established in the European continent before the end of the Crusade, is much more difficult and presents a greater challenge than is the case in Latin America, as the local assemblies must be quadrupled rather than doubled. We have therefore set the date for the election of these European National Bodies for Ridvan 1962. It is our conviction that with constant and concentrated effort and sacrifice, our objectives can be accomplished there and the requisite number of local assemblies be brought into being by Ridvan 1961. The National Spiritual Assembly of Ceylon will likewise be elected in 1962.
With the formation of these National Bodies, and we trust, circumstances permitting, of the two others specified in the provisions of the Ten-Year Plan, a wide and representative foundation for the Universal House of Justice will have been laid.
We are also happy to announce that another milestone in Baha'i history will be reached with the election of the International Baha'i Council during Ridvan 1961. The embryonic institution established and so highly extolled by the beloved Guardian will thus enter its final stage preceding the election of the Universal House of Justice. The members of all the National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'i world, duly constituted in Ridvan 1960, will take part in a postal ballot to elect nine members to the International Council. This International Baha'i Council is to work under the direction and supervision of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land, serve a two year term of office, and cease to exist upon the occasion of the election of the Universal House of Justice. All the Baha’is of the world, men and women alike are eligible for election. As the Chief Stewards of the Faith are wholly occupied with specific tasks assigned them by the beloved Guardian and perforce assumed since his passing, they should not be considered for election to this Council. Two of the functions originally allotted to the council by the beloved Guardian, namely to forge links with authorities of the State in which the World Center is situated, and to conduct negotiations related to matters of personal status with civil authorities, will still be discharged, and to them are added the following: to assist the Hands of the Cause in the care of the properties at the World Center, and in the establishment of the Universal House of Justice; and in any other functions which the Hands may assign from time to time.
We wish to assure the believers that every effort will be made to establish a Baha'i Court in the Holy Land prior to the date set for this election. We should, however bear in mind that the Guardian himself clearly indicated this goal, due to the strong trend towards the secularization of religious courts in this part of the world, might not be achieved.
At this turning-point in the Crusade when all our forces must be unitedly concentrated on winning its goals, the friends should not be deflected from the vital tasks confronting them by discussion of such subjects as can only be considered when the Universal House of Justice is established. Therefore we feel it is necessary to recall the words in the Proclamation we sent out after the passing of the beloved Guardian: “When that divinely ordained body comes into existence, all the conditions of the Faith can be examined anew and the measures necessary for its future operation determined in consultation with the Hands of the Cause.” This includes the subject of the Guardianship.
Aside from the pressing demands of the world-wide work of the Faith which must be met and administered from the Holy Land, and which require so much attention on the part of the Chief Stewards, plans are being formulated for the Hands to travel to various countries and lend the National Spiritual Assemblies their personal assistance during the months immediately ahead – and indeed until the end of the Crusade. These plans include visits to the Cradle of the Faith, where the vast majority of the followers of Baha’u’llah reside; to the Baha'i communities in the United States and Canada, who constitute the chief prosecutors of the Divine Plan to the Latin American countries where by 1961 so many National Assemblies must be formed; and to Europe, where another eleven of the future pillars of the Universal House of Justice must be erected by 1962.
In addition to these plans, the Hands pursuant with the wishes of our beloved Guardian, are contemplating a much more intensive and wider use of the Auxiliary Board members in carrying out the work of the World Crusade, and a much closer cooperation between the Institution of the Hands and the National Spiritual Assemblies.
The importance of the plans made for the election of these National Assemblies as well as that of the International Baha'i Council, cannot be overestimated, because the above plans constitute the end of a forty-two year long prelude to that glorious consummation which will take place with the election of the Universal House of Justice in Ridvan 1963. Through the creation of this mighty institution, the Formative Age of the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah will have entered a new stage in its development; the thirty-six years of Shoghi Effendi’s heart-breaking, self-sacrificing ministry will bear one of its fairest fruits, and that wondrous prophecy of Baha’u’llah will be fulfilled; “Verily, this is the day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement, the day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart hath destined for revelation. Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee and will manifest the people of Baha, who have been mentioned in the Book of Names.”
On the eve of the great victories which lie ahead and which we will befittingly celebrate on the occasion of the “Most Great Festival”, the “King of Festivals”, the Festival of God” Himself, let us recall the glorious appeal and promise in these words of our Guardian: “Dearly beloved friends!...Ours is the duty to fix our gaze with undeviating attention on the duties and responsibilities confronting us at this present hour, to concentrate our resources, both material and spiritual, on the tasks that lie immediately ahead, to insure that no time is wasted, that no opportunity is missed, that no obligation is evaded, that no task is half-heartedly performed, that no decision is procrastinated. The task summoning us to a challenge, unprecendented in its gravity and force, is too vast and sacred, the time too short, the hour too perilous, the workers too few, the call too insistent, the resources too inadequate, for us to allow these precious and fleeting hours to slip from our grasp and to suffer the prizes whithin our reach to be endangered or forfeited. So much depends upon us, so pregnant with possibilities is the present stage in the evolution of the Plan, that great and small, individuals, groups, and Assemblies, white and colored, young and old, neophytes and veterans, settlers, pioneers, itinerant teachers, and administrators, as isolated believers, as organizers of groups, and as contributors to the formation of local or national assemblies, as builders of the Temple, as laborers on the home teaching front, …all, without exception, and in every sphere of activity, however modest, restricted or inconspicuous, must participate and labor, assiduously and continually, until every ounce of our energy is spent, until, tired, but blissful, our promised harvest is brought in, and our pledge to our Beloved fully redeemed.””
(signed) Ruhiyyih, Amelia Collins, Leroy Ioas, Horace Holley, Shu’a’u’llah Alai, Ugo Giachery, Adelbert Muhlschlegel, H. Collis Featherstone, Paul E. Haney, A.Q. Faizi, Hermann Grossmann, A. Furutan, Dhikru’llah Khadem, William Sears, John Robarts, John Ferraby, Jalal Khazeh, Enoch Olinga, Agnes B. Alexander, Tarazu’llah Samandari, Musa Banani, Hasan Balyuzi.
Mansion of Baha’u’llah, Bahji, Akka, Israel, November 4, 1959
III. TRANSLATION OF LETTER SENT OUT BY HANDS TO FRENCH BELIEVERS
Paris, 8-5-60
To all the friends and Local Assemblies of France:
Following the instructions of the Hands of the Faith in Haifa, I, the undersigned Faizi, Hand of the Faith and delegate of the Hands residing in the Holy Land, have arrived in Paris. I have had an interview with the members of the N.S.A. of the Baha’is of France.
I have discovered by their own admission that the following five members who form the majority of the N.S.A. in opposition with their pact of faithfulness with regard to the divinely ordained institutions are disobedient to the institution of the Hands of the Faith.
In virtue of my instructions and in virtue of the authorization of the Hands of the Faith, I announce:
- The dissolution of the N.S.A.
- If one of the five members arrive in the community under your jurisdiction, I ask you to not accept them among you and to not arrange meetings that they meet the friends.
- Communicate this message to all the friends in your community
- The Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land will give you definite instructions concerning the disobedience of the infidels.
- These five are: Monie Derakhchan, Joel Marangella, Bernard Fillon, Jacques Soghomonian and Donald Harvey.
- The necessary instructions for the new election of the N.S.A. will be given you in the course of my visits in your community.
The Hands of the Faith and all the Baha’is of the entire world anxiously await for the friends of France to prove their faithfulness and their firmness toward our beloved Guardian (Shoghi Effendi) and the divinely ordained institution of the Hands of the Faith.
Always in the service of our Faith and our Shoghi Effendi, the beloved Guardian.
(signed) A.Q. FAIZI
Hand of the Faith.
(Translated by author of this article)
IV. TELEGRAM SENT BY A.Q. FAIZI, HAND OF THE CAUSE, TO SOME BELIEVERS WHO ACCEPTED THE GUARDIANSHIP.
N.S.A.s world over repudiated unfounded claim Mason and reported Hands Holy Land (stop) In the archives dissolved N.S.A. I found your letter accepting his claim (stop) I give you twenty four hours send supplication Holy Land (stop) Beg forgiveness the unfortunate grave mistake (stop) Inform me your decision if you do not abide (stop) Instruction issued Divinely ordained institution Hands Faith outcome grievous your spiritual life (stop) I am Hand Cause appointed beloved Faizi.
Paris, 9 May 1960
Mason Remey On behalf of the
Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith Baha'i Community
Post Box No. 418 LAHORE; 17th Sep 1960
Washington 4, D.C.
O The Beloved of our Hearts!
We thank Almighty God on this day, the 17th Sep 1960, when we received your Blessed Promulgation through Mr Morangello of France for which we were anxiously waiting and trying from various sources and now we hereby declare allegiance to your authority as the Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. The Community accepting and supporting your Claim and desirous of serving the Beloved Faith under the direction of your infallible Commands consists of the following members:-
1. Major Nawazish Ali Siyyid – Member NSA Pakistan
2. Mr. Kabir Khan President LSA Lahore
3. Mr. Jan Mohammad Vice President LSA
4. Mr. Zaffar Ali Khan Secretary
5. Mr. Shabbir Hussain Treasurer
6. Mr. Siraj Din Member
7. Mrs. Nawazish Ali Siyyid
8. Mrs. Zaffar Ali Khan
9. Subedar Ghulam Shah
All the above mentioned believers prayfully beg your infallible Guidance for the promotion of their spiritual life in this world and the world to come.
After hearing the news of your Promulgation through a negative source i.e., the so-called Hands faith and the NSA of the Baha’is of Pakistan about 2/3 month ago, the Community loyal and steadfast to the Institution of Guardianship accepted your Claim, rejected the views of the Hands faith, and issued a booklet to the believers is Pakistan and with your supporters from various sources within their reach and at last today this Community received your Declaration and are in a position to express their humble feelings before you.
Kindly accept our allegiance and guide us in these hard days for our spiritual life and keep us posted about your Command and Guidance.
We are circulating your Declaration to all Local Spiritual Assemblies and Believers of Pakistan.
P.S. Kindly Send us as many possible copies of your Declaration and subsequent letters
Yours humbly, in Your Service.,
Zaffar Ali KhanMian Imam Din’s Quarters
Garhi Shahu., Lahore, West Pakistan
LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA’IS OF RAWALPINDI
437/8, Nai Abadi
Tench Bhata,
Rawalpindi (West Pakistan)
SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHA’IS OF RAWALPINDI
No. SG/1/RSA 437/8, Nai Abadi,
Tench Bhata,
Rawalpindi (West Pakistan)
October 16, 1960.
Mason Remey Esq.,
The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith,
P.O. Box 418
Washington 4, D.C. U.S.A.
Beloved Guardian of the Faith,
I have the honour to submit before you an open letter dated October 7, 1960 issued by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Rawalpindi to the NSA/LSAs/ Baha'i Groups/Isolated Believers in Pakistan. This letter has been despatched to all concerned in this Country in response to your call to the believers as well as Assemblies to cease cooperating forthwith with those violating the Faith presently and support the institution of Guardianship instead. By the grace of God, we are alive to the need of the day and are whole heartedly willing to uphold the truth wherever it is. Nothing can deter us from treading the correct and rightful path.
We shall feel much obliged if all the relevant documents and encyclical letters issued from your office from time to time are also supplied to this Assembly at your convenience.
We pray to God humbly to enlighten us always with the Divine Guidance and submit, therefore, before the will and command of the Beloved Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. May he be gracious enough to accept our humble submissions!
Faithfully yours in El Abha,
S.A. Kazmi
c.c. Secretary
1. Charles.H.Gaines Esq.,
229 W. Chestnut Street,
Lancaster. Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
2. Joel B. Marangella Esq., 3. L.S.A. Lahore
7. Rue Jousselin,
ORLEANS, FRANCE
October 7, 1960.
Will 11, 117 B.E.
To: - The NSA/LSAs/Baha'i Groups/Isolated Believers in Pakistan.
Believers, followers and upholders of the Faith, witness the power of your Guardian! He says, - “Now is a time of Judgment of the people of the Baha'i Faith”. He therefore calls all believers, without exception, before Baha'i Bar of Justice, where every individual believer must now make his stand either for or against the Guardianship!
Ever since the death of our Beloved First Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, we have been pondering over the question of Guardianship that is inseparable from the Administration of the Baha'i Faith as given in the Will and Testament of the Beloved Master Abdu’l-Baha. As the Baha’is all over the World had found themselves plunged into the sea of grief and agony on the passing away of Shoghi Effendi, no one could then take the opportunity of going anew through the messages issued to the Baha'i World by the Beloved one – particularly His message of January 9, 1951 wherein He had announced with great emphasis, the appointment of Mr. Mason Remey as President of the Baha'i International Council that is according to His explanation the President of the Embryonic Universal House of Justice. This appointment made by the Beloved Guardian was so veiled that no one on earth could understand its true meaning and significance though this event was definitely ranked by him second only to all other events in the times of the Three Central Figures of the Faith. But as this appointment was made by our Beloved Infallible Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in his life time, in accordance with the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha, no believer should question this infallible appointment!
LSA Rawalpindi, therefore, considered at length the Proclamation, since issued by Mr. Mason Remey, to the Baha’is of the World through the Annual Convention of the Baha’is of the United States of America, assembled at Wilmette, Illinois during Ridvan 117 Baha'i Era, and were united in their stand to accept Mr. Mason Remey, the Second Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, without break. The Assembly submitted before the will and command of the Second Infallible Guardian of the Faith and decided that all relations/connections with the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Pakistan and the former erring Hands of the Faith residing in the Holy Land be severed forthwith.
Beloved friends in the Faith, all this has been done after prayerful thinking when we had been convinced that the Will and Testament of the Beloved Master Abdu’l-Baha, the Mightiest Document unparalleled in the history of religions, wherewith the Beloved First Guardian of the Faith had built up the present Administration of the Baha'i Faith so painstakingly during his long meritorious Ministry, was now being ruthlessly violated by the Hands of the Faith. We, therefore, had no other recourse but to rise up and support the Guardianship – the Guardianship that even upholds the infallibility of the Universal House of Justice with its possibility of an error there if the affairs of the Cause are going to be handled by the Universal House of Justice only and in consultation with the Hands of the Faith but excepting the President of that august body that is none other personage than the Infallible Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. That office cannot under any circumstance, be filled up by election otherwise infallibility, the most essential ingredient for that position, would be lacking. It is incumbent, therefore, on the Infallible Guardian of the Baha'i Faith to nominate, in his life time, his successor as is invariably provided in the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha and that can be none other than the Infallible one fully competent to be the President of the Universal House of Justice. How can it be tenable that the First Infallible Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, could not discharge such a vital duty as had been precisely enjoined upon him by the Beloved Master? It may be mentioned here that the Hands have no authority, whatsoever, vested in themselves, to indulge in the Administration of the Faith, assuming thereby the role of collective guardianship. Their duty is only to take their orders from the Living Infallible Guardian of the Faith. Moreover they have no authority whatsoever to organize themselves into a body so as to govern the affairs of the Faith.
We, therefore, sincerely invite you to please give this matter your sincere and prayerful thinking, individually as well as collectively, so that no moment is wasted to support the just cause of Mr. Mason Remey, the Second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. In case you do not give due weight to our invitation, the future generations will find a page in the history of our religion known as “The Epoch of the Great Violation of the Baha'i Faith”. On the other hand, we have been given an assurance that those who remain firm under the guidance of the Guardian of the Faith, will lead the Cause on and on towards victory after victory in the triumphant growth and expansion of the spiritual power of the Faith.
We would, however, be lacking in our duty if we do not invite the attention of the believers, once again, toward the Mightiest Document of the Faith that is the Will and Testament of our Beloved Master Abdu’l-Baha. As told by the First Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, this Document cannot be detached or separated from this Most Holy Book (Aqdas) revealed by the Pen of Baha’u’llah. It is the most invaluable legacy of our Beloved Master and deserves full attention of the believers. No believer should, therefore, ignore the contents of such a document as history has never seen before in the past.
We earnestly hope that the believers will read and re-read the Will and Testament of the Blessed Master Abdu’l-Baha in a true Baha'i spirit with a view to upholding the principle of independent investigation of truth since enunciated by Baha’u’llah and moreover when it is purely meant for this purpose and none else.
You are now to judge and decide individually whether you need the Divine Guidance through the Line of Infallible Guardians exactly in accordance with the Will and Testament of the Master Abdu’l-Baha or the Administration presently run by the Hands of the Faith contrary to the aforesaid Sacred Document meets your spiritual requirements?
Faithfully in El Abha,
Local Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha’is of Rawalpindi
A STATEMENT BY THE SECOND GUARDIAN OF THE FAITH
In several of my writings I mention a momentary vision, that I had about the year 105 of the Baha'i Era, in which I saw myself as the Second Guardian of the Faith. At the time, this seemed to me to be an absurdity of my imagination. But after the Beloved Guardian called me to Haifa, made me President of the Baha'i International Council, and made his home in the Holy Land to be my home - - these factors, together with other matters that, beyond a doubt in my mind, were preparing me at that time for service I was to do at some future date, I found myself thinking of that momentary vision I had had. However, these thoughts came and went from me. At times I would seemingly forget all about my vision; then it would come to my mind again. These thoughts were vague and fleeting.
Such was my condition of mind - - even for some time after the departure of the Beloved Guardian and all during my years in his house in the Holy Land. As these years accumulated, my future in the Faith was anything but clear to me. In fact, I did not think much about it. I was busy with the then present-day matters of the Cause.
Such was my state of mind when the Hands of the Faith met in the First Behje Conclave shortly following Shoghi Effendi’s passing. While at that time I thought that I might become the Guardian of the Faith in some way or another, I did not know how. It was all more or less vague, hazy and indefinite in my thoughts, and so I succumbed, as did others, to the proposition of the Persian Hands of the Cause and a few others, who all
together formed a ruling and a united majority. So I accepted the dictum of this unity and signed the Proclamation to the Baha'i world along with all of the other Hands.
In other words, while I was semi-conscious to what was going on, I was more or less asleep mentally and spiritually. There just did not seem to be any clear solution to the problem before us. All was more or less confused. Thus, the present regime of the Custodian Hands of the Faith came into working order, accepted by all of us, myself included.
But before long my mind began to work, and I saw that those Hands who did not want a renewal of Guardianship were leading us afar and away from the way of the Will and Testament; but, as I then thought to make things pleasant and happy in Haifa, I said nothing. To myself, however, I thought a great deal.
While I was thus just beginning to awaken to the radical departure that Baha'i affairs were taking in opposition to the Will and Testament, the time came for the Second Behje Conclave of the Hands. That was in November, 1958. It was at this conclave that I found myself thoroughly awakened to the violation of the Hands of the Faith in their NOT WANTING the Guardianship. In this second conclave, the very word “Guardianship” was becoming taboo. It was hinted at when letters and a telegraphic dispatch, bearing hopes for a Second Guardian, were directed to the conclave from the friends in Germany; but while a few of us read these pleas from Germany, asking that the hope for a Guardian of the Faith not be abandoned, none of these communications was before the conclave. Nor were these communications discussed. They were merely mentioned by some, and only then on the side.
But during these sessions I, myself, was beginning to awaken from the state of Baha'i apathy that had until then quite dominated me. I began to think that someone ought to make the stand that these Hands of the Faith should at least appear to want a Guardian, even though they did not know how they were going to get one. The underlying fact (never mentioned in so many words, but then quite clear to me) was that, as shown in their attitudes, these Hands actually did not want the Guardianship to continue.
Between these first and second Baha'i conclaves, a few people in America had begun to question the Hands’ attitude of no more Guardianship wanted.
Ruhiyyih Khanum, in a large public Baha'i gathering at Kampala in Africa, had stated definitely that the friends should abandon all hope of any continuation of the Guardianship. And in America, led by Horace Holley, a Manifesto from Chicago was issued that was signed by Holley, Paul Haney, and Mrs. True, entitled “A New Baha'i Era”. It spoke of the Faith, Sans Guardian, and explained that the Guardianship was a closed subject.
This Chicago Manifesto stirred up a good deal of discussion amongst the Hands in the Holy Land, who, although thoroughly in sympathy with the substance of this Manifesto (this they specifically wrote to Holley), called him down for thus making a stand that publicly proclaimed the Sans Guardian doctrine. Thus were these Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land playing a double-faced game; for they, by avoiding the subject were thus conditioning the believers, if it were possible, to forget about the Guardianship. Thus did they intend to reinforce themselves in their own leadership of the Faith and in their plans for creating a House of Justice in 1963 – a House they claimed would be infallible Sans Guardian!
In order to put over onto the Baha'i world the plans of these Custodian Hands of the Faith, they had decided in the first conclave that all of their actions should be kept a secret from the proletariat of the Cause. In the Chicago Manifesto, those American Hands who signed it broke the pact of secrecy when they consulted with the N.S.A. of the United States. All nine members of this N.S.A. approved; and together with the three American Hands, they signed the Manifesto.
Thoughts on all of these matters were surging through my mind during this second conclave and stirring me greatly. But even then, because of the vague thought of myself as a possible Guardian of the Faith, I felt that if such were ever to be, then someone other than I should, in this conclave, make the stand that the hope for the continuation of the Guardianship should not be abandoned. Reluctant to make this stand myself, I felt that the Hands should at least hold this door open and not close it as they were doing. But I felt that someone other than I should do this, because, as it were, I would be considered as an interested party. Reasoning thus, I waited, hoping that some other person would take this stand. Thus, in this conflict of thoughts, I sat silent most of the time in the conclave. I remained silent up until the last session when I arose, took the floor, and told the members of the conclave that they were violating the Will and Testament of the Master ‘Abdu’l-Baha in their attitude of not wanting a continuation of the Guardianship.
My stand created a stir of indignation in the conclave. I was immediately silenced by several voices under the pretext that I was out of parliamentary order in bringing up a subject that had already been acted upon by the assemblage and was a closed issue. So that was that, and the conclave closed.
However, in this moment so charged with emotion, I was asked why I took this stand in defense of the Guardianship against the united opinion of the conclave. To this my reply was that some one of us Hands should stand for the Administration with the Guardianship; and, as there was no one other to do it, I must alone (against all others) make this stand.
At that time I was then the Guardian of the Faith, as I had so been since the death of Shoghi Effendi; but since I was still asleep spiritually, I was not conscious of my actual status of protector of the Faith as the Guardian. Yet, unconciously, I was thus moved to stand up against this violation of the Will and Testament; and although I was not mentally conscious of my status as Guardian of the Faith, somehow or other I felt that I must stand up alone in that conclave and protect the Faith by defending the Guardianship. It was much over a year later before I realized that at that very time I actually was standing guard over the Cause - - and standing quite single and alone - - against all of the other Hands of the Faith united against me! But at that moment, I had no idea about the why of my doing as I did; I arose only to protect the Faith.
In the conferences of the Custodian Hands in Haifa, following this Second Behje Conclave, I told the Hands repeatedly that they were violating the Will and Testament. Together with them I had made the agreement that strict secrecy be maintained as to all that passed between these Custodians. It had also been agreed that we could and should all speak out openly in our conferences, and this I always did, speaking most frankly. But as I stood alone, no one paid any attention to me. Thus, matters went along for a year until I refused to sign my name any longer as being “In the Service of the Beloved Guardian of the Faith” (Shoghi Effendi). My contention in refusing to sign was that the Guardianship of the Faith is a function of this world and that with Shoghi Effendi in the Abha Kingdom, he was no longer our Guardian in the flesh to be obeyed; consequently, we were no longer in his service. Rather, we should then be in the service of the Second Guardian of the Faith! But even then I did not realize that I, Mason Remey, was then the Second Guardian of the Faith.
My refusal to sign the message of the Hands from the Third Behje Conclave to the Baha'i world, in November 1959, precipitated matters and eliminated me from the nine Custodians. Therefore, shortly after this, I left Haifa for Washington, where I am now in voluntary exile from my home in Haifa - - the home that, publicly and before all of the Baha'i community in the Holy Land, Shoghi Effendi ordained for me on this earth.
The Custodians did not want me to leave Haifa. They evidently feared that I might not keep their pact of secrecy and that I might let the people in America know what they were up to, for at that time there were many in America who still hoped for a Guardian to lead the Faith. But I chose to leave Haifa, and in the end this was accepted by the Hands.
I left for America via Italy, all under apparently pleasant conditions, I assuring the Hands that I could keep their secrets and not tell any of the believers what they were doing. With me to America I took all of my notes and records of the happenings amongst the Baha'is in the Holy Land during my residence there. Then, in America, away from the Custodian Hands in the Holy Land (and even before that in Italy), I started formulating a written argument to the Custodian Hands of the Faith. This argument I prepared in “An Appeal to the Hands of the Faith”, “Another Appeal to the Hands of the Faith”, and a “Last Appeal to the Hands of the Faith”.
These lengthy documents were bound in book form and sent by me to the Hands in Haifa. When I started in upon this last effort to awaken the Hands to their violation, my thoughts, that before this had been disordered, gradually began to arrange themselves in a logical sequence in my mind; and step by step, one thought opened up the way for a more comprehensive thought. Slowly, little by little, one thought led to another until I found myself considering the Beloved Guardian’s appointment of me as the President of the International Baha'i Council (a subject that had never even been mentioned in any of the conclaves or conferences of the Hands of the Faith). Finally, little by little, it was born into my consciousness that I, myself, Mason Remey, was actually then the protector of and the Guardian of the Faith and that I had been in this supreme station of protector – that is, I had been the Guardian of the Faith – ever since the death of the First Guardian.
Thus at last, Ridvan 117 B.E., all was clear to me. The great danger to the Cause from the violating Hands of the Faith made it necessary for me to come out with the Proclamation of my Guardianship – first to the Custodian Hands in Haifa, then before the Ridvan Convention in America. This had to be done in order to save the Faith from the utter destruction that was being perpetrated by the erring violating Hands of the Faith.
I was indeed a very long time in coming to the realization of mine own command of this entire situation of the Faith. But during this time, while my mind was not at all alert to these conditions in the Cause, I was arising instinctively to defend and to uphold the Guardianship of the Faith. As people read over my notes of my thoughts and the mention of events transpiring in Haifa, they will see and understand the complexity of thought that was gradually being straightened out in my mind. At times I was away, far away, from the solution of many of the problems of the Faith, even considering at one time that the Hands of the Faith, in order to protect the Cause, might choose and install a Guardian. Other such ideas were pondered; but out from this maze of thought, I gradually realized that the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi had actually appointed me the Second Guardian of the Faith and had so announced this to all the world. Until that time, no one, not even I, myself, had realized this. It was thus, in this way, and little by little, that I arrived, until now - - as the acknowledged Guardian of the Faith (acknowledged by the few who faithfully follow the admonitions of the Will and Testament, as against the many who are misled by the erring Hands who have renounced the Guardianship) - - I am clear upon any and all matters as they come up for me to take action in leading the Faith on to its destined triumph over the powers of mankind and bringing victory to the Kingdom of God upon Earth.
MASON REMEY, GUARDIAN
Of the Baha'i Faith
THE VIOLATION OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH
St. Jean Pied de Port, B.P., France
December 14, 1960
Dear Friends of the Cause of God;
In order that all may become informed of everything that has transpired since the passing of the beloved Shoghi Effendi, and that no single aspect of the truth be hidden, the Guardian has asked that this article, and others sent prior to this date, be sent to all who seek the truth. From the teachings we know that God has never intended that we should ever despair, or give up hope for the complete fulfillment of His Covenant and the coming of His Kingdom, as He has promised for thousands of years. Abdu’l-Baha laid great stress on the complete fulfillment of God’s Covenant: “Verily, God effecteth that which He pleaseth; naught can annul His Covenant; naught can obstruct His favor nor oppose His Cause!” (Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha, Vol. III, pg. 597) and, “Man can withstand anything except that which is divinely intended and indicated for the age and its requirements.” (Baha'i World Faith, pg. 234)
With absolute certainty that God’s Covenant and His Plan will be fulfilled, we may fearlessly seek to discover what has really transpired in the Baha'i world. All of us know the exalted station of justice, and that it means a profound and thoughtful search for truth. This we may do with full confidence in the Covenant and the coming of the Kingdom of God as He promised, for Abdu’l-Baha has assured us that the Covenant cannot be withstood nor annulled.
It is undeniable that we will find safety and security only in the Covenant, and through our own determination to seek out the truth hidden behind a veil of words. In this age of applied psychology mind control is an art, the tools of which are words. By repetitious and reassuring slogans or “catch” words truth is distorted and obscured, and over periods of time we are prepared and “conditioned” to accept certain concepts desired by others to promote their own aims. In the last great war entire nations were misled and controlled through the power of propaganda, and even now people are being led down the paths of war by the magic of words alone! Through the power of words peaceful peoples are shaped into blood thirsty and warlike nations, civilizations are destroyed, and the sincere betrayed. For our own safety we must seek the reality through the obscurity of men’s words.
Abdu’l-Baha warned that we would be misinformed and confused by people who would try to withstand God’s Covenant: “There are some people…who do not communicate their selfish intentions to you in a clear language. They secretly and by insinuation do this…Be ye greatly on your guard so that no one may infringe upon the oneness of Baha’u’llah’s Cause.” (Abdu’l-Baha in New York page 8) Those who misled must do so in ways difficult to detect, – or lose their following.
The Cause must be guarded to protect the believers. In contrast with the dubious statements and misleading inferences which must be used by violators, the fair minded will admit that the following exposition is clear and manifest, and the intent is not hidden. We support the Covenant herein, unchanged, as Abdu’l-Baha has said it will remain, and we uncover the reality that has been obscured by words.
When we compare the statements of the Hands with specific instruction and directives of Shoghi Effendi, and with the actual text of the Will and Testament we discover what has happened in the Baha'i world. In order that we will understand what has been accomplished, where we have been led, and to clarify the entire situation, we will consider developments in the approximate order in which they occurred. Thus will we penetrate the veil of words, and we will see the truth of present events.
The first statement, which we quote, came shortly after the passing of the beloved first Guardian, Shoghi Effendi: “Since a successor could only be chosen and designated by Shoghi Effendi in his lifetime, the friends must dismiss all hopeful expectation that a will appointing a second Guardian may later be found. (U.S. Baha'i News, Aug. 1958) By hinting that Shoghi Effendi could not possibly have appointed his successor during his lifetime, we were steered away from searching out his actual appointment. Why should we have dismissed “all hopeful expectation”? Shoghi Effendi himself, in the “Dispensation” (page 148 of The World Order of Baha’u’llah) told us the Cause would be mutilated without the Guardianship!
In the same message we were informed that we should rejoice because we were guided from the spirit world by Shoghi Effendi, implying that we have no need for a living Guardian: “Let us also rejoice with grateful hearts over the truly remarkable measure of Divine protection vouchsafed to us since the passing of our beloved Guardian, an unfailing sign that Shoghi Effendi’s spirit is with us, guiding and inspiring the believers everywhere and assisting us to achieve total victory in the Holy Crusade bequeathed to us by him.” This belief resembles the one held by Christians who say that the Spirit is with us, and that unity of all mankind will be achieved through group guidance from the Spirit, a belief we all know is tragically mistaken.
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It was then suggested that we believe that simply having a World Center was all that was necessary for unity, though we see striking examples in all religious history which prove this to be utterly impossible. We were here reminded that the Hands have special aid from the spirit of Shoghi Effendi. “The great waves of prayer and loving confidence which have come pouring in to us from the national spiritual assemblies and the believers all over the world, have reassured us and sustained us, and have given us strength and courage as we labor to protect the World Center and to maintain it as the unifying hub of the great wheel of the Cause our Guardian so carefully built up and set in motion. This has given us assurance that our Guardian himself is aiding us to aid him.” (U.S. Baha'i News. Oct. 1958, Message Hands)
Thus was the end of the hereditary Guardianship conditioned into the thinking of all of us, and the belief built up that the Hands, being safely guided by Shoghi Effendi’s spirit, and through location at the hub of the great wheel, they therefore have special spiritual powers, and they are the focal point of unity – interfering that the Faith remains united and secure simply by the presence of the Hands at the administrative center!
One needs but to recall that in Ruhiyyih Khanum’s book, “Twenty-five Years of the Guardianship,” first issued in 1946, she definitely states that it is merely the World Center. Actually, the statement in Ruhiyyih Khanum’s book is correct, and the message of the Hands is misleading, for from the Will and Testament we see that the Guardian is the Center of the Cause (page 26, 1944 U.S. Edition)
As a matter of record, Ruhiyyih Khanum states in that same book, and in the very same paragraph, the absolute necessity for the Guardianship when she says, “The principle of successorship, endowed with the right of Divine interpretation, is the very hub of the Cause into which, its Doctrines and Laws fit like the spokes of a wheel, tear out the hub and you have to throw away the whole thing.” This was in 1946, yet, one year after the passing of the beloved first Guardian, they were busy trying to tear out the hub, by discrediting the principle of successorship, and attempting to annul the Covenant thereby (“to throw away the whole thing.”) This was an incredible and tragic development.
Paralleling these developments, the Hands were quietly assuming right and prerogatives of the Guardian, all the while assuring us that this was normal and was really the intention of the Guardian himself. We were supposed to read between the lines, for the Hands spoke of “clearly established” rights and authority not mentioned at all in the Will and Testament, and never in the words of Shoghi Effendi. We were also reassured that all was well: “In these successive passages, dear friends, the Guardian clearly established an international body of twenty-seven Hands of the Cause endowed with authority to consult and take appropriate measure to meet the crisis which, with the Guardian’s passing, overtook and indeed overwhelmed the world community of Baha’is. Of this vitally important fact we may have full assurance.” (U.S. Baha'i News, Jan. 1958, Message Hands)
This statement is completely valid up to the part “endowed with authority to consult and take appropriate measures” and there it becomes quite apparent to us, upon closer examination, that we have been misinformed. It is known that the Hands act under the direct orders of the Guardian, according to the Will and Testament, and can take no “appropriate measures” on the basis of their own decision arrived at through consultation or otherwise. This distortion is revealed to us when we check the Will and Testament, for we discover that the Hands are not a decision making body, nor can they legislate on temporal or spiritual laws. To tell us that we “can have full assurance” of this “fact” when it is an alternation of the Will and Testament, and cannot be a fact, is an astounding assurance to give us.
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The assumed authority of the Hands was repeatedly represented to us as if it were the desire and intent of the Guardian himself: “…and the, as you know, the Guardian himself, just a little while before he passed on, constituted them the chief custodians (the Hands) so that they could qualify under the Will and Testament to appoint a body of nine as the Will and Testament describes, and be recognized by the Faith.” (Talk by H. Holley, Suppl. U.S. Baha'i News, Sept. 1958) We are no longer confused by this type of word magic, and we know full well that conferring a title does not give any Baha'i rights and privileges beyond those defined in the Will and Testament for that position. If we try to find any mention of the appointment of a body of nine by the Hands we will be disappointed, for it is not there. There is mention of election (must elect from their own number nine persons…” pg. 12, Will and Testament, 1944 U.S. Edition) of such a body of nine, but Shoghi Effendi did not give permission for even this to transpire at any time.
We who have been exposed to modern advertising campaigns, or even propaganda of political nature, see that we have been exposed to the same type of patient preparation of our thinking which is so effective in business and politics. One of the difficulties is that we all have a tendancy to accept as truth that which is repeated frequently, like slogans that stay on our minds, and only after further investigation do we discover that we have been sold an idea, and misinformed. One cannot assume that the deviation of the Hands began with a formal plan, except for the concept of ending the appointed Guardianship, but it is apparent from this exposition that they very quickly developed a plan to convince the friends to follow this deviation. Thus, the Hands, knowing the trust we had in them, kept telling us we could have full assurance in whatever they told us, even though it is in conflict with the Will and Testament. As soon as we review the statements of the Hands, and then compare them with the actual text of the Will and Testament all traces of doubt and confusion disappear, and we see where we have been misled into a grave departure from the Covenant of God.
Going further, the Hands assumed the authority of defining who is a Covenant-breaker, a right that will some day be theirs, according the Will and Testament, but which Abdu’l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi after Him, specifically withheld from every individual and assembly. (“The American Hands…stand ready to deal with any evidence of Covenant-breaking…” U.S. Baha'i News, January 1958) Shoghi Effendi said: “The Guardian, like the Master before him, has not considered it advisable to as yet permit any person or assembly to put another person out of the Cause of God,” and “no one but himself can pronounce a person to be in that diseased condition we call ‘Covenant-breaking’ and no one but himself can reinstate a Covenant-breaker.” (Letter from Guardian to N.S.A. of U.S., Baha'i News, June 1949) This emphatic statement withheld for the Guardians the right to declare who is a Covenant-breaker, yet the Hands would rationalize away its entire meaning, and they have taken on this right for themselves.
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Two years of rather subtle “mental preparation” with words alone, had cleared the way for the November 1959 message of the Hands, and they apparently felt that by then they ought to be able to take over undisguised command of the Faith without any strong objection from the friends. Of course, they did not claim infallibility but, as we mentioned above, they claimed to be guided by the spirit of Shoghi Effendi himself, and they promised us that their Universal House of Justice, of their own design, would be infallible. This they promised us despite the fact that when we read the Will and Testament make clear that infallibility only comes to the Universal House of Justice through the appointed Guardians.
Here is their promise in that November 1959 message: “Alarmingly little time is now left to us in which to accomplish his design. Well aware of the fact that this great Faith of Baha’u’llah stands in sore need of the erection of that infallible and supreme legislative body which, in the words of the Center of the Covenant Himself ‘God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error’…” (U.S. Baha’i News, Dec. 1959) As mentioned, if one investigates the words of the Master he discovers that the Universal House of Justice must be formed according to His Will and Testament before it will be infallible, and that means with the Guardian as President. (And consequently, as Ruhiyyih Khanum saw in 1946 – page 23 in “Twenty-five Years of the Guardianship” - - without a Guardian it would be prone to error from the very outset.)
We all remember that Shoghi Effendi set up the International Baha'i Council in 1951-1952, six years before he passed on, and that it remained in its embryonic form until his passing in 1957, a revealing fact in itself when we ponder its significance. Why then, in 1959, just three years before the 1963 deadline invented by the Hands, is there this sudden unwarranted alarm, and why did the Hands wait two years after the Guardian’s passing to sound an alarm? Shoghi Effendi certainly did not give the formation of the Universal House of Justice as one of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade, and this sudden spurt of activity is subject to question.
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The Hands had now put the plans of Shoghi Effendi to one side, the same plans which they themselves had shortly before described as “everything we need,” and they began to boldly issue their own directives and orders to the friends, completing their subversion of the Guardian’s plans. In March, 1959, Ruhiyyih Khanum had said: “The Guardian has left us everything we need: we should hold to the Guardian’s plan, the Ten Year Crusade,” (Baha'i News, March 1959) but in November, that same year, the Hands said: “We have formulated the following plan of action which will enable the Baha'i world to establish the Universal House of Justice in 1963…” (Baha'i News, Dec. 1959) If the Hands were sincere in their belief that the plans of Shoghi Effendi should be adhered to they would not have formulated their own “plan of action,” which was making an addition, their own concept of a Universal House of Justice, to the Ten Year Crusade, and the destruction of the appointed Guardianship.
To do this they boldly develop their own schemes: “This International Baha'i Council is to work under the direction and supervision of the Hands residing in the Holy Land, serve a two year term of office, and cease to exist upon the occasion of the election of the Universal House of Justice.” (Baha'i News, Dec. 1959) Shoghi Effendi never once gave direction and supervision of the International Baha'i Council, created by his appointment in 1951-1952, over to the Hands of the Cause. The real International Baha'i Council is the embryo of the Universal House of Justice, according to the words of Shoghi Effendi (Baha'i News, Feb. 1951), and it’s appointed President, Mason Remey, is therefore the Guardian of the Cause of God.
In that same November 1959 message the Hands speak of the International Court, which Shoghi Effendi described as the essential second stage in the evolution of the Universal House of Justice, and which was actually one of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade. The Hands told us that this goal “might not be achieved”, but they would try to squeeze it into the brief time between November 1959 and April 1961. Here, then, the Hands had altered another goal of the Ten Year Crusade of Shoghi Effendi, and even warned that they might not bother at all about this directive of the Guardian (Refer to “The Baha'i Faith”, an information booklet by Shoghi Effendi, 1953 U.S. Edition, page 64, which gives goals of the Crusade). Furthermore, everyone who thoughtfully considers this matter will unhesitatingly recognize that to establish a court, teach its members their duties, and allow the court sufficient time to mature and properly function, is impossible to accomplish in the time allotted by the Hands, We are astonished and dismayed by this disregard for Shoghi Effendi’s directives.
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When it seemed likely that the majority of the believers would stand behind their violation of the Covenant, the Hands promptly took over complete command of the Administrative Order and all the national assemblies, making up a sort of “group Guardian” consisting of the Hands in Haifa. This final and complete break with the Will and Testament was done to suppress all obedience to the second Guardian, and to confuse the friends the world over. The National Spiritual Assembly of France accepted the second Guardian, and sent out his Proclamation with related information (including the telegram of the “Hands in Haifa” denying the Guardian’s Proclamation), so that each believer could make his own search for the truth and his own decision, as it should be. The “Hands in Haifa” immediately sent out their agent, A.Q. Faizi, to suppress all obedience to the Guardian, to frighten the friends, and to “dissolve” the National Spiritual Assembly of France.
A.Q. Faizi’s incredible statement reads: “I have discovered, by their own declaration, that the following five members (he lists this majority of the NSA) who form the majority of the National Spiritual Assembly, in opposition to their pact of faithfulness to the institutions divinely ordained, are disobedient to the institution of the Hands of the Faith.” (Letter dated 8 May 1960, signed A.Q. Faizi sent to all French Baha’is) Baha’is know that all of the constitutions of the National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world are patterned after that of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. In Article II of the Declaration of Trust of the Baha’is of the U.S., it is stated that decisions of the National Spiritual Assembly are subject to review by the Guardian or the Universal House of Justice. This is the same as the Art. IX. Which appears in the Declaration D’Association Cultuelle of the National Spiritual Assembly of France. The Hands have never been given the right in any of the writings or words of Shoghi Effendi or Abdu’l-Baha to take command of the National Spiritual Assemblies or to reverse their decisions. If they cannot even reverse their decisions, how much less have they the non-existent right to “dissolve” an assembly! Actually, it is clear from the Will and Testament that they have no authority of their own whatsoever but must act under the orders of the Guardian only.
Surely, the National Spiritual Assemblies, directed by Shoghi Effendi to work in “cooperation” with the Hands, and this is not “cooperative” action at all! By their failure to object to this attempt to “dissolve” the French assembly they gave silent approval to this violation by the Hands. They have surrendered their rights to the Hands and now must act according to their commands (or be “dissolved”), or else make a clean break and return to the Will and Testament. This would, of necessity, separate then from the Hand, bring them back to the Guardianship, and give them once again their share in the victory of the Covenant of God.
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Surely, the National Spiritual Assemblies, directed by Shoghi Effendi to work in “cooperation” with the Hands, must begin to be aware that now they have surrendered their rights to the Hands, and this is not “cooperative” action at all! By their failure to object to this attempt to “dissolve” the French assembly they gave silent approval to this violation by the Hands. They have surrendered their rights to the Hands and now must act according to their commands (or be “dissolved”), or else make a clean break and return to the Will and Testament. This would, of necessity, separate them from the Hands, bring them back to the Guardianship, and give them once again their share in the victory of the Covenant of God.
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One of the misconceptions encouraged by violators is that for the sake of “unity” the friends must follow the majority decisions, right or wrong, without hesitation. Now if this were true they should not now be Baha’is, for the majority of the people in the world do not accept the Cause of God. From this it is clear that when the majority is in error, there is really no excuse for following in the way of that majority, and such a deed is actually unacceptable before God (See page 143, Gleanings). It is also for this reason that God, through Baha’u’llah, has provided for an interpreter of the teachings, the Guardian, so that we could all know God’s Will and Intent for us, and remain faithful to the Covenant.
This “for the sake of unity” plea has led some of us to believe that every decision of the National Spiritual Assemblies must be followed. This is quite understandable, and is derived from the fact that a spiritual assembly, if it is truly spiritual, will be influenced by the guidance of God, and when it makes an erroneous decision, we must even then follow, for in time the error will be rectified, and unity preserved. However, we must be aware that the assemblies have never been given the right to decide spiritual questions which are between the individual and God. They are intended to handle temporal matters, to coordinate the teaching work, but never to act as interpreters of the Divine Text, nor to make the spiritual decisions of the friends. Accepting or turning away from the Covenant and the Guardian is a decision each one of us should make for himself or herself, there is no other alternative.
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Another misleading and destructive misunderstanding has been deliberately fostered in France by A.Q. Faizi, while acting as agent of the “Hands in Haifa,” by tearing a quotation from Abdu’l-Baha out of context with the intent of altering its meaning. In the Will and Testament (pages 12 and 13, 1944 U.S, Edition) Abdu’l-Baha warns that those Hands who disobey the Guardian are the cause of division in the Cause. A.Q. Faizi left out the reference to the Guardian and quoted this part: “Should any, within or without the company of the Hands of the Cause of God disobey and seek division, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon him, for he will have caused a breach in the true Faith of God,” and Mr. Faizi indicated that this meant that Mason Remey caused a breach in the Cause by not obeying the Hands! (Suppl. to the Baha'i Journal, Paris, France, May 1960). What he has done is to reverse the real and obvious meaning of the statement from the Will and Testament, stating that Mason Remey, because he was a Hand before he became Guardian, must now obey the “Hands in Haifa”! Thus, the statement made by Abdu’l-Baha has been reversed, for now, according to Mr. Faizi, the Guardians must obey the Hands, instead of the Hands obeying the Guardian, as it is written.
Carrying this curious reversal of the Will and Testament one step further, the Hands declared that Mason Remey did not have their approval to be the Guardian, and that he therefore could not have the position. They argued that the (appointed) Guardian must have the permission of the Hands before he is acceptable! This quite strange argument of the Hands was sent all over the world by the N.S.A. of America: “Remey Proclamation unauthorized by Hands in Haifa and repudiated by N.S.A….” (Letter from N.S.A. of United States, signed by C. Wolcott, 11 May 1960) In the U.S. Baha'i News of February 1955, in a letter to Rex King, we find that Shoghi Effendi emphatically stated that the Hands cannot overrule the Guardian on any matter, and he used the question of the appointment of a successor as an example: “The statement in the Will of Abdu’l-Baha does not imply that the Hands of the Cause of God have been given the authority to overrule the Guardian. Abdu’l-Baha could not have provided for a conflict of authority in the Faith. This is obvious, in view of His own words which you will find on page 13 (page 11 of the 1944 U.S. Edition) of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha.” (Letter from Shoghi Effendi to Rex King, Baha'i News, Feb. 1955)
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When we look back at the violations in past years we learn that those who violate the Covenant of God are separated from the obedient believers, to preserve the purity of the Cause and to protect the friends. Those who knowingly disobey the Covenant, or who care too little to search out truth, in reality leave the Faith of their own accord. “Now the Nakazene (violators) say that Abdu’l-Baha is despotic, drives some people out and excommunicates like the Pope. This is not so at al! Any person who has left (the Cause) did so because of his own actions, intrigues and evil plots” (Baha'i World Faith, page 432)
On the basis of their perversions of the Will and Testament, the Hands accused the Guardian of causing a split in the Cause of God, when it was their own desertion of the Covenant that made it imperative to isolate them from the faithful believers! Mason Remey, the Guardian, responded to this peculiar charge and cut off the violating Hands: “The Hands of the Cause accuse me of attempting to create a split in the Cause - - as if this were a bad thing for the Baha'i Faith! I am indeed making a split in the Faith, for I am separating the diseased from the healthy living spiritual organisms of the body of the Baha’is. Such was the manner in which the Blessed Matter saved the Faith in His day and the Beloved Guardian saved the faith in his day.” (Second Encyclical Letter to the Baha'i World, by Mason Remey, July 1960)
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Herein we have presented the facts with clarity, and we stand ready to openly and honestly explain any further questions that arise. Nothing is devious, nothing need be hidden, for the appointment of the second Guardian was made by the infallible first Guardian in writing during his lifetime. We have exposed to the light of justice the activities and words of the Hands during two years, and everything may be verified from the actual messages of the Hands, and any of the Baha'i writings. The second Guardian has written proof of his appointment, but the Hands have nothing but violation to support their assumed command of the friends. Should the Hands desist from their violation and return in obedience to the Covenant and the Guardianship, as has happened in the past, they would be accepted again as Baha’is under the Covenant.
Forgetful of the past history of violation, and apparently unaware that God’s Covenant is not to be annuled, the Hands of the Cause of God have, in this time, become involved in a violation unprecedented in its magnitude. This Great Violation, quietly started after the passing of Shoghi Effendi, nurtured and conditioned into the minds of the unsuspecting believers, and ultimately brought into the open in a message signed by twenty-two Hands (Nov. 1959), is aimed at altering the entire Administrative Order so laboriously erected by our beloved first Guardian. These Hands have striven to replace the appointed successor to Shoghi Effendi, Mason Remey, by a consultative body appointed by them from among their own member, and to which they have given the appellations “Custodians of the Cause of God” and “Hands in Haifa.” But the Divine Covenant of God will not be altered or annuled, and the violators who persist will find themselves in “evident loss”, a process that has already started.
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In “God Passes By” (page 412) Shoghi Effendi wrote the following prophetic words: “Whatever may befall this infant Faith of God in future decades or in succeeding centuries, whatever the sorrows, dangers and tribulations which the next stage in its world-wide development may engender, from whatever quarter the assaults to be launched by its present or future adversaries may be unleashed against it, however great the reverses and setbacks it may suffer, we, who have been privileged to apprehend, to the degree our finite minds can fathom, the significance of these marvelous phenomena associated with its rise and establishment, can harbor no doubt that what it has already achieved in the first hundred years of its life provides sufficient guarantee that it will continue to forge ahead, capturing loftier heights, tearing down every obstacle, opening up new horizons, and winning still mightier victories until its glorious mission, stretching into the dim ranges of time that lie ahead, is totally fulfilled.”
With perfect assurance that the Covenant of God cannot be annulled or withstood by anyone, let us seek out and discover what has happened in the Baha'i world, lest we separate ourselves from God, and are faced with irreparable loss. The promise has been fulfilled, the Guardianship and the Kingdom of God go on. “…we of the Baha'i Faith have all assurance that in this great day of God His Kingdom is to triumph in this world and His Kingdom has come to dominate the world and all of its activities…In the end the Cause will triumph over all.” (Second Encyclical Letter, Mason Remey, July 1960) With the Covenant we will go forward with the Cause to victory after victory.
In the service of the Guardianship-Administration, under the
Covenant. Faithfully,
John Carre’
THIS LETTER WAS WRITTEN BY JOHN CARRÉ IN CONFERENCE WITH JOEL B. MARANGELLA AT THE DIRECTION OF MASON REMEY THE SECOND GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH WHO APPROVES OF ITS CIRCULATION THOUGHT THE BAHA'I WORLD.
ANNOUNCEMENT
This volume is one of a series of treatises- - of nine or ten or more in all- -each of which is printed in a very small edition of but fifteen copies. These writings are not intended for general circulation at this present time (1960 A.D.), but have been prepared especially to be placed in a few important libraries at home and abroad. They consequently will be available to readers and will be preserved for future generations as a record of conditions that exist now and things that are at hand and taking place among the followers of the Baha’i World Faith- -the Universal World Religious Movement that of recent years has been spreading in many of the countries of the world but that now, at this time, is threatened by internal forces of disruption, the causes for which are shown and discussed in this series of theses. This volume contains one of these several arguments and is written, arranged, and bound in this form personally by the present “Second Guardian” as Head of the Baha’i World Faith, and who, at present, is living in the city of Washington in America in voluntary and temporary exile from his home upon Mount Carmel in the Holy Land.
The libraries at home and abroad where these volumes can shortly be found are registered upon the accompanying listing. In order to facilitate their indexing in these several libraries, the Library catalogue cards are accompanying each volume now being sent forth by- -
Mason Remey, Guardian
of the Baha’i Faith
From P.O. Box 418
Washington 4, D.C., U.S.A.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The transportation of these volumes from Washington, D.C. to the foreign libraries listed has been gratuitously undertaken by the International Exchange Service of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, D.C. For this favor, the author and donor of these volumes here expresses his sincere appreciation.
The Libraries:
Bibliothèque Royale - - Bruxelles, Belgium
The Library of the
Free University of Berlin - - Berlin-Dahlem, Germany
Library of the British Museum - - London, England
The Bodleian Library - - Oxford, England
Bibliothèque Nationale - - Paris, France
State Archives and Library - - Hakirya, Jerusalem
Israel
Library of the United Nations - - Geneva, Switzerland
Public Library of
New South Wales - - Sydney, Australia
In the United States of America these treatises will
be found in:
The Library of Congress - - Washington, D.C.
The New York City Public
Library at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue - - New York
and in libraries in a few other cities.
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