The Formation of the International Baha'i Council
FORMATION OF INTERNATIONAL BAHA'I COUNCIL
The Baha'i World, Vol. 12, pp. 40-41
“In January, 1951, the Guardian made known to the National Spiritual Assemblies of East and West his “weighty epoch-making decision” to form the first International Baha'i Council, as a forerunner of the Universal House of Justice “destined to emerge in the fullness of time” at the International Center of the Faith, “the midmost heart of the entire planet.” He referred to the International Council as an “embryonic International Institution,” stating that it will evolve into an officially recognized Baha'i Court, be transformed into a “duly elected body” and reach its efflorescence finally as the Universal House of Justice. He outlined its threefold functions: (1) to forge a link with authorities of the newly emerged State of Israel, (2) to assist the Guardian in the erection of the Shrine of the Bab, and (3) to conduct negotiations related to matters paving the way for the formation of the Baha'i Court.
The Guardian appointed the following members of the International Baha'i Council:
Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum, as liaison between himself and the Council
Charles Mason Remey, president
Mrs. Amelia Collins, vice-president
Ugo Giachery, member-at-large
Leroy Ioas, secretary-general
Jessie Revell, treasurer
Ethel Revell, Western assistant secretary
Lotfullah Hakim, Eastern assistant secretary”*
[Please note: The announcement of the formation of the International Baha'i Council in Volume 12 of the Baha'i World 1950-1954 falls under the section “EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE HOLY LAND AND THE GROWTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER”, p. 32. The first items in this article highlight various construction accomplishments of Shoghi Effendi and additions to the Baha'i endowments. The editors of The Baha'i World, Volume 12 chose to list the appointment of the Hands of the Cause of God and the Auxiliary Boards before the appointment of the future Universal House of Justice: The International Baha'i Council. The announcement of the appointment of the Second Guardian, Charles Mason Remey, is contained within the proclamation of the establishment of the International Baha'i Council. Baha’is who obey the injunction (command) to study the Baha'i Sacred Writings recognize that the President of the Universal House of Justice is the Guardian, according to the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha. When Shoghi Effendi made his announcement to establish the International Baha'i Council, he was creating the future Twin Pillars of the Kingdom of God on earth: the Second Guardian and the Universal House of Justice.
To list the appointment of the Hands of the Cause of God and the Auxiliary Boards is to recognize the servants before those they are meant to serve. According to the Will and Testament, the Hands are to act as servants of the Guardian who is the Head of the Universal House of Justice. The International Baha'i Council contained the Twin Institutions (Twin Pillars) of the Kingdom of God on earth: the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. When the Hands broke the Covenant in 1957, they fulfilled the prophecy of Abdu’l-Baha contained in The Master’s Last Tablet to America where He quotes the prophecy of Jesus regarding the servants who killed the son to steal the inheritance. The Hands did not take the physical life of the Second Guardian, Charles Mason Remey, but they destroyed the spiritual life of the Baha'i Faith by removing the appointed Interpreter, the Institution of the Guardianship. The Hands mutilated the Baha'i Faith and the progress of the promised Kingdom of God on earth when they made the false statement that the Guardianship had come to an end with the ‘Bada’ lie. They made the absurd claim that ‘God changed His mind.’ God does not break His Covenant.
To cover their crimes and to give the appearance of being sincere Baha’is, the Hands rushed to prematurely establish the ‘universal house of justice’. The Baha'i Faith now has one ‘pillar’ – a false ‘universal house of justice’ instead of the Twin Pillars revealed by Baha’u’llah. The Twin Pillars of the Baha'i Administration and the Kingdom of God are the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. The role of the Guardian is that of Interpreter of the Baha'i Sacred Text. The Universal House of Justice is the global Legislature which is to create laws not explicitly found in the Baha'i Writings. The Guardian is the permanent Head/President of the Universal House of Justice. All Baha’is, including the members of the Universal House of Justice and the Hands, are to show submissiveness and obedience to the Guardian, according to the Will and Testament. When the Hands violated the Covenant through the elimination of the appointed Interpreter, the Second Guardian, Charles Mason Remey, they drove the Baha'i Faith into apostasy. Instead of the Twin Pillars, the Baha'i Faith has a flimsy pole – a false ‘universal house of justice’ which pretends to have the right to interpret the Word – a function strictly reserved for the Guardian in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha. Shoghi Effendi designates the Will and Testament as the ‘charter’ for the Kingdom of God, along with the Kitab-i-Aqdas.
The Greater Covenant is the Promise that God will always send a Prophet to Interpret the Logos to humanity. The Lesser Covenant, in the Baha'i Faith, is the Promise that there will always be an appointed Interpreter of the Words of the Prophet. Baha’u’llah makes this point extremely clear with His Book of the Covenant, the Kitab-i-Ahd. In this brief document Abdu’l-Baha is appointed the Interpreter and successor of Baha’u’llah. Any attempt to separate the role of Interpreter from the Covenant is a violation of the Covenant.
The Violating Hands, in 1957, and their Covenant-breaking followers from that day until now, employ pathetic and fallacious arguments to excuse their actions. They claim that Shoghi Effendi left no will, therefore the Guardianship has come to an end. The Will and Testament states that the Guardian must appoint his successor during his own lifetime. The fact that Shoghi Effendi left no will is irrelevant in relation to the continuation of the Guardianship. Another fallacy spread by the violators of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah is that Shoghi Effendi had no son, therefore, the Guardianship has come to an end. According to the Will and Testament, ‘another branch’ is to be appointed Guardian if the firstborn son lacks the spiritual qualities necessary for the role. In the Master’s Last Tablet to America, Abdu’l-Baha states that another branch will be grafted onto the ‘tree’. It makes perfect sense that a spiritual appointment is necessary for a spiritual function: the Interpreter of the Word, the Guardian. There are references to gentiles inheriting the Kingdom throughout the Bible. The most explicit being Genesis 49:10 where we learn that when the Promised One arrives, the kingship will leave the family of Judah.
The Guardian is the new name for the King. Baha’u’llah revealed the Plan for the Kingdom of God on earth. How can there be a kingdom without a king? Baha’u’llah states that He rules upon the throne of David in His Proclamation (p. 89). Abdu’l-Baha, the successor of Baha’u’llah, was also on the throne of David. Abdu’l-Baha was the exemplar whose conduct all Baha’is are to imitate. The name Abdu’l-Baha means ‘servant of glory’. Abdu’l-Baha chose this name for Himself. His given name was Abbas Effendi. As the exemplar, Abdu’l-Baha demonstrated that ALL people are servants of God, including the king. The king of the Kingdom of God is renamed the Guardian. Like everyone else, the Guardian is a servant of God. The Hands are assistants to the Guardian. The Hands have no right to make independent decisions, interpretations, or actions. The Will and Testament gives the Hands two functions: to teach and to protect the Faith. The Hands are to act only under the direction of the Guardian and are to be submissive and obedient to the Guardian, according to the Will and Testament.
The Hands destroyed the Baha'i Faith and delayed the appearance of the Kingdom of God on earth. The false ‘universal house of justice’ continues this crime by keeping the Faith in a state of apostasy. Shoghi Effendi, in his brilliant interpretation, The World Order of Baha’u’llah, describes the elements of the Kingdom of God. According to Shoghi Effendi, the theories behind the Administration of the Kingdom of God is part aristocracy, part democracy, and part autocracy. The Hands and ‘universal house of justice’ have annihilated the intended structure and created an oligarchy. Shoghi Effendi’s explanation can be read here:
https://proofsforguardian.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-administrative-order-from.html
The fact that the thrilling news of the creation of the future Universal House of Justice along with the identity of the Second Guardian, Charles Mason Remey, in the International Baha'i Council was buried in the middle of an article listing other ‘events connected with the Holy Land’ makes one wonder why the editors of the Baha'i World Vol. 12, made this decision? Why were the appointments of the Hands of the Cause and the members of the Auxiliary Boards listed before the announcement of the creation of the future Twin Pillars of the Kingdom of God on earth? Was it ignorance of the Faith or the seeds of the planned destruction of the Faith which began in 1957 and continues until this very day?]
*Bold not in original
The Hands completely ignored the fact that the International Baha’i Council was to evolve into a Baha’i Court as a preliminary step to, finally, efflorescing into the Universal House of Justice. The Hands, with no authority, dissolved the International Baha’i Council created by Shoghi Effendi. In order to hide their crimes, the Hands created a ‘second international Baha’i council.’ The election of the illegitimate ‘universal house of justice’ quickly followed the creation of the unlawful ‘second international Baha’i council.’
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, the Hands have only two functions: to teach and protect the Baha’i Faith. Because the Will and Testament is a part of Baha’i Law, the Hands of the Cause, who dismantled the International Baha’i Council, broke Baha’i Law. The International Baha’i Council, was the Guardianship and International House of Justice in embryo, according to Shoghi Effendi. The Hands broke Baha’i Law when they deviated from their legally defined role and eliminated the Guardianship and the International Baha’i Council. They broke Baha’i Law when they failed to follow the first Guardian, Shoghi Effendi’s, instruction that the International Baha’i Council evolve into a Baha’i Court as a preliminary step to the formation of the Universal House of Justice. The Hands broke Baha’i Law when they held an illegal election of the ‘universal house of justice.’ The Hands further broke Baha’i Law when they eliminated the institution of the Hands through the elimination of the Guardianship. It is the Guardian who appoints Baha’is to the duty of the Hand of the Cause of God.
The Hands destroyed the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha and the Administrative Order defined in that sacred document. This is the Administrative Order for which the Bab and 20,000 believers lost their lives. This is the Administrative Order for which Baha’u’llah and His family were exiled, imprisoned, poisoned, and tortured. This is the Administrative Order for which Abdu’l-Baha sacrificed His childhood, adulthood, and old age as an exile and prisoner. This is the Administrative Order for which Shoghi Effendi toiled his entire adult life having sacrificed any aspirations for a private life in order to perform the duty thrust upon him in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha. This is the Administrative Order that Charles Mason Remey taught for over three quarters of a century. The name of the Second Guardian of the Baha’i Faith has been maliciously tarnished by those who deliberately destroy the government of the Kingdom of God on earth which is the Administrative Order of Baha’u’llah which is destined to endure for half a million years.
Approximately 75% of the Will and Testament is on the subject of the Covenant and the dangers of violating the Covenant; the dangers of ignoring the appointed interpreter. It is remarkable that the Hands ignored the Law of God contained in the Charter for the Administrative Order of the Kingdom of God on earth! The Hands are assistants, and nothing more. They relied upon the ignorance of the Baha’is who disobeyed the injunction to study the Writings. They violated the Covenant when they ignored the appointed Interpreter, the Guardian of the Cause of God.
Finally, Shoghi Effendi describes the theories of government which form the Baha’i Administrative Order as aristocratic (the institution of the Guardianship), democratic (the Universal House of Justice), and autocratic/theocratic (God). In the Plan Revealed by Baha’u’llah, God is the authority. The violation of the Covenant is disobedience of God Himself. This violation has led humanity away from God and into the abyss of self-will rather than into the Kingdom of the Will of God.