True Bahá'í

HUQUQULLAH (THE RIGHT OF GOD) AND ITS DISPOSITION

HUQUQULLAH

There is a great importance of Huququllah in the Bahai Faith.

Huququllah is an Arabic word comprised of two words. Huquq meaning “Right” and “Allah” meaning “God”. Therefore Huququllah means “Right of God”, a part of the individuals possession and income offered at the Threshold of God. 

Huququllah being the Right of God and bounty for the people is clear from the Bahai Holy writings of sayings of The Bab, Bahaullah and Abdul Baha

 

Writings of The Bab

 

O people of the world, whatever ye have offered up in the way of the one true God, ye shall indeed find preserved by God, The Preserver, and Intact at Gods Holy Gate.

Thus the embryo of the sacred law of Huququllah was established by the Bab in the Persian Bayan, His book of Laws.

Bahaullah brought some modifications in its content and fashioned it as one of the worlds shaping ordinances of His stupendous Revelation.

 

Writings of Bahaullah:

Bahaullah affirms “….the payment to the Right of God is conducive to prosperity, to blessing and to honour and divine protection”

"As to Huququllah, this is the source of blessing and the mainspring of God’s loving kindness and tender love vouchsafed unto men”.

In Kitab-i Aqdas verse 97, it has been revealed by Bahaullah:

Should anyone acquire one hundred mithqals of gold, nineteen mithqals thereof are Gods and to be rendered unto him, the fashioner of the earth and heaven. Take heed o people, lest you deprive yourselves of such a great bounty. This we have commanded you, though though we are well able to dispense with you and with all those who are in the heavens and on earth, in it there are benefits and wisdoms beyond the ken of anyone but God, The Omniscient, the All-informed Say, By this means He hath desired to purify what ye possess and to enable you to draw nigh unto such stations as none can comprehend save those whom God hath willed, He in truth is the Beneficent The Gracious, The Merciful .O people deal not faithlessly with the Right of God , Nor without His leave , make free with its disposal .Thus hath his commandments been established in the holy tablets and in this Exalted book .He who dealeth faithlessly with God shall in justice meet with faithlessness himself , He , however , who acteth in accordance with Gods bidding shall receive a blessing from the heaven of the bounty of His lord , the Gracious , the Bestower , the Generous , the Ancient of Days.He verily hath willed for you that which is yet beyond your knowledge , but shall be know to you when , after this fleeting life , your souls shall soar heaven wards and the trappings of your earthly joys are folded up.Thus admonished you He in Whose possession is the Guarded Tablet.

Writings of Abdul Baha: -

O friends of Abdul Baha The Lord as a sign of his infinite bounties hath graciously favoured His servants by providing for a fixed money offering (Huqooq) to be dutifully presented unto Him, through He m, the true One and His servants have been at all times independent of all created things, and God verily is the all-possessing, exalted above the need of any gift from His creatures. This fixed money offering however causeth people to become firm and steadfast and draweth Divine increase upon them

(Will and Testament of Abdul Baha )

Abdul Baha commenting on the manifold powers latent in the Law of Huququllah writes"

“…In accordance with His inscrutable wisdom and in order to apply a unique test to distinguish the friend from the stranger, He hath enjoined the Huqooq upon His servants and made it obligatory.”

From all the above quotations it is amply clear that the source of energy for upholding the law of huqullah is the individuals love and loyalty to the covenant.

As Abdul Baha, Himself says that it distinguishes the friend from the stranger; this is nothing more or less than a test of ones firmness in the covenant.

 

DISPOSITION OF HUQUQULLAH

Now we come to a very important question regarding the Disposition of this Huquq .

Abdul Baha in one of his tablets has stated

“Disposition of the Huquq, wholly or partly is permissible but this should be done by PERMISSION OF THE AUTHORITY IN THE CAUSE TO WHOM ALL MUST TURN “

Thus provision in His Will and Testament that the Huququllah is to be offered through the GUARDIAN OF THE CAUSE OF GOD.

This clearly indicates that Huququllah is the Right of the Guardian.

CONCLUSION

This bring us to an important point that those misled Bahais who are paying Huququllah to some other entities other than the Guardian, are they doing the right thing?

Unfortunately these Bahais are not only misled but also are orphaned, as they do not believe in the Guardian. The entities who are claiming Huququllah other than Guardian are not the “Recipient of the Right of God”, but are actually “Usurpers of the Right of God”.

 

Arranged by:

Committee for the Study of Holy Text

PNBC of

India

.

 

 

A Spiritual Branchhood: DNA is not the carrier of divine guidance

The fundamental disagreement between the sans-Guardian Baha'is and those who remain loyal to the living Guardians of the Cause, has to do with the interpretation of Aghsan. That is, the Sons of Baha'u'llah, and the question of whether the Guardians must be Aghsan.

Shoghi Effendi, as the first Guardian, had the sole right to interpret the Writings of the Faith. His translations of the Holy Text are authoritative, including the interpretions he had to make in translating the Arabic and Persian words into English words.

Shoghi Effendi translated the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha, and in the English version of that document, Shoghi Effendi used the the word "branch" or a variation thereof ten times.  Lets take a look at how they are used (emphasis added):

1) "Salutation and praise, blessing and glory rest upon that primal branch of the Divine and Sacred Lote-Tree, grown out, blest, tender, verdant and flourishing from the Twin Holy Trees; the most wondrous, unique and priceless pearl that doth gleam from out the Twin surging seas..." (p. 3)

The primal branch grown out of the Twin Holy Trees obviously refers to Shoghi Effendi, who branched from both the Bab and Baha'u'llah. Of course, he was not one of the Sons of Baha'u'llah, but was the grandson of Abdu'l-Baha, through His daughter.

In this translation and interpretation of Aghsan, Shoghi Effendi uses the lower case "b" to refer to himself.

2) "...for behold! he is the blest and sacred bough that hath branched out from the Twin Holy Trees. Well is it with him that seeketh the shelter of his shade that shadoweth all mankind." (p. 3)

Again, Shoghi Effendi's translation and interpretation in reference to himself uses a lower case "b" in "branch."

3) "...it is incumbent upon the Afnan, that are steadfast in the Covenant of God and have branched from the Tree of Holiness; the Hands, (pillars) of the Cause of God (the glory of the Lord rest upon them), and all the friends and loved ones, one and all to bestir themselves and arise with heart and soul and in one accord, to diffuse the sweet savors of God, to teach His Cause and to promote His Faith..." (p. 9)

Here, Abdu'l-Baha is referring to the Afnan, the maternal relatives of the Bab and Shoghi Effendi's translation and interpreation uses the word "branched" with a lower case "b".

4. 5. 6, and  7) "After the passing away of this wronged one, it is incumbent upon the Aghsan (Branches), the Afnan (Twigs) of the Sacred Lote-Tree, the Hands (pillars) of the Cause of God and the loved ones of the Abha Beauty to turn unto Shoghi Effendi -- the youthful branch branched from the two hallowed and sacred Lote-Trees and the fruit grown from the union of the two offshoots of the Tree of Holiness, -- as he is the sign of God, the chosen branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, he unto whom all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God and His loved ones must turn..." (p. 11)

In this passage, Abdu'l-Baha is abandoning the succession of the Aghsan and replacing it with the Guardianship, with Shoghi Effendi as the first Guardian. In referring to the Sons of Baha'u'llah, who now must obey Shoghi Effendi, he interprets and translates the word with an upper case "B" but the other three uses of the word "branch" are lower case "b" because in those uses he is referring to Shoghi Effendi and the Guardians. Abdu'l-Baha makes it clear that the Sons of Baha'u'llah and the Hands are to turn to the Guardians.

8) "The sacred and youthful branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, as well as the Universal House of Justice to be universally elected and established, are both under the care and protection of the Abha Beauty," (p. 11)

The sans-Guardian Baha'is may misinterpret this sentence because they have been brainwashed into believing that their headless UHJ is being referred to, when elsewhere Abdu'l-Baha makes it clear that the UHJ he is referring to has the Guardian as its "sacred head." In referring to the Guardian of the Cause, the word branch is lower case "b" according to the translation and interpretation of Shoghi Effendi.

9) "Thus, should the first-born of the Guardian of the Cause of God not manifest in himself the truth of the words: -- "The child is the secret essence of its sire," that is, should he not inherit of the spiritual within him (the Guardian of the Cause of God) and his glorious lineage not be matched with a goodly character, then must he, (the Guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him."

Although Abdu'l-Baha clearly states a preference for the first born son of the Guardian to be his successor, He clearly makes the Guardianship an appointed position and not hereditary.  If the Center of the Cause was strictly hereditary, then Abdu'l-Baha's successor would have to be Abdu'l-Bahá's half-brother, Muhammad `Alí, who was named by Baha'u'llah Himself as one of His successors (but who turned against Abdu'l-Baha). In this passage, the word "branch" is not referring to the Sons of Baha'u'llah, but instead it was referring to a spiritual branchhood, and therefore according to Shoghi Effendi's authoritative interpretation and translation, a lower case "b" is used for the word "branch."  Abdu'l-Baha is specifically allowing the Guardians to appoint someone other than their own children by allowing them to choose another "branch." 

10) "It is incumbent upon you to take the greatest care of Shoghi Effendi,the twig that hath branched from and the fruit given forth by the two hallowed and Divine Lote-Trees, that no dust of despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature, that day by day he may wax greater in happiness, in joy and spirituality, and may grow to become even as a fruitful tree." (p. 25)

In this last reference, referring to how Shoghi Effendi "branched" from the Bab and Baha'u'llah, the word is interpreted and translated by Shoghi Effendi with a lower case "b" as Shoghi Effendi is obviously not one of the Sons of Baha'u'llah.  Those who say that the Guardian must be one of the Sons of Baha'u'llah, the Aghsan, are really denouncing Abdu'l-Baha since it was He who did away with the Agshan as the successors to Baha'u'llah.  Those who insist that Aghsan refers to any descendant of Baha'u'llah are perverting the meaning of the word as used by Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi and are rejecting the clear interpretation of Shoghi Effendi, as well as the obvious intent of the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha.

Those who refuse to recognize the idea of a spiritual inheritance, that the Guardians are spiritual offshoots of the Tree of Holiness are caught up into a materialistic world view that is not consistent with Baha'i orthodoxy. It is absurd to believe that the DNA transferred from one member of the Holy Family to another is the carrier of divine guidance, yet this is exactly what the sans-Guardian Baha'is are saying when they say that there was no Agshan for Shoghi Effendi to appoint his successor.

Abdu'l-Baha seems to display foreknowledge that Shoghi Effendi would not have children in passage number 10, wherein He says that if the Baha'is must "take the greatest care of Shoghi Effendi" so that "no dust of despondency and sorrow may stain his radiant nature", then Shoghi Effendi would "grow to become even as a fruitful tree."  Is He not saying that the opposition that Shoghi Effendi faced during his entire life caused him not to sire children, and therefore the greatest test of the Baha'i world would ensue?

Thus, the Baha'is are tested on whether they would accept a spiritual branchhood.

As Joel B. Marangella, stated in "The Tree of the Covenant:"

"Bahá'u'lláh is the Ancient Root from which has sprung the Primal Branch or Greatest Branch; that is His appointed Successor and the Center of His Covenant, 'Abdu'l-Bahá "a Branch" that hath been so uplifted as to encompass the whole of creation" and the "Most Mighty Branch of God. " The Guardians of the Faith who have been endowed with the same interpretive authority as had been vested in 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in accordance with the explicit provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, may be regarded (and, in fact, are so designated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá) as the youthful branches or twigs which are the offshoots of the Primal Branch while the mass of faithful believers are the leaves and fruits of this glorious Tree."   http://bahai-guardian.com/tree.html

Abdu'l-Baha confirms this in Last Tablet to America (found at Baha'i World Faith, p. 438):

"Consider! 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."

This is exactly what Abdu'l-Baha did when He created the Guardianship in His Will, and this is exactly what Shoghi Effendi did when he appointed Mason Remey to the presidency of the embryonic UHJ (the International Baha'i Council).

It is time for the Baha'is who follow the headless UHJ to abandon their materialistic ideas about the succession of the Center of the Cause and recognize that the Baha'i Faith is not to be bogged down with materialistic notions of hereditary succession. The Guardianship is a spiritual office.  To be firm in the Covenant means and always has meant fidelity and obedience to the Guardian of the Cause:

"The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Bahá'u'lláh) 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. No doubt every vainglorious one that purposeth dissension and discord will not openly declare his evil purposes, nay rather, even as impure gold, will he seize upon divers measures and various pretexts that he may separate the gathering of the people of Baha." Abdu'l-Baha, Will and Testament, p. 11.

Beware that He is talking about you!

For more information on the Orthodox Baha'is:

The living Guardian's web site:
http://www.bahai-guardian.com/

The International Baha'i Council's web site:
http://www.bahaisorthodox.com/ibc/

The Hands of the Cause of God web site:
http://handsofthebahaifaith.typepad.com/

Jeffrey

An Open Response to an Inquiring Heterodox Believer

The following is my response to an inquiry made by a believer in the sans-Guardian organization directed to an Orthodox Baha'i:

Allah-u-Abhá,

I am one of those that you call "heterodox" Bahá'ís. It is strange to
hear this appellation, because we don't call ourselves like that, and
this is misleading to your audience. To be clearly transparent, you
may provide a link to www.bahai.org and let people judge themselves
about the truth. I became curious and visited your profile, because in
our community we heard a lot about you. And, because of that, a series
of deepenings have started on the topic of the Covenant. And we thank
you for that! So, I also saw your reply to A----, and as a Bahá'í
living under the Covenant (under the guidance of the Universal House
of Justice), I am not supposed to communicate with you, because it is
believed that it is spiritually dangerous. However, I am taking the
risk, just to share with you a few points.

Although this letter overall displays the usual spiritual blindness of the followers of the sans-Guardian UHJ, it is refreshing in that this believer has enough light to be curious and to be willing to communicate with the Orthodox Baha'is even though he believes it to be "spiritually dangerous."  In reality, this kind of investigation of the truth is not dangerous at all, but it is a necessary part of spiritual growth.  What this believer has failed to do is to undertake the basic investigation in the first place of the persons and institutions to whom he has sworn loyalty.  His faith is based upon false assumptions and the opinions of others and is not based at all upon an investigation of the truth.  Yet this believer is, almost despite himself, actually engaging in an independent investigation and for this I applaud him.

Of course, this believer is naive in believing in the basic goodness and good faith of the leadership of his organization who would expel him if they knew he was corresponding with us.

He objects to the term "heterodox" to describe the sans-Guardian organization, but fails to state why.  Its definition is "unorthodox," or in other words contrary to the original established teachings. All one has to do is to crack open the Bahai texts to see that the original established teachings had a living Guardian as the Center of the Cause. 

Let me quote your reply to
A-----:

"The main distinction of the Orthodox Bahá'ís from the <<mainstream>> or
heterodox Bahá'ís that we recognize the leadership of the Guardian as
<<head of the Faith>>. The Orthodox Bahá'ís scrupulously follow the
stipulations of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá. The heterodox
Bahá'ís pretend that the Guardianship is extinct, thus repudiating the
Will and Testament of the Master."

Bahá'ís throughout the world recognize the spiritual leadership of the
Guardian as Head of the Faith. The Guardian - Shoghi Effendi -
although physically not present, continues to be our source of
guidance, because his writings, letters, and messages constitute a
central source of guidance for the Bahá'í communities and
institutions, including the Universal House of Justice, because thy
shed light and further interpret the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and
'Abdu'l-Bahá. But you know all this. If you are referring to the Will
and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Guardian is "its sacred head for
life", this means that his spirit, writings and letters will always be
guiding the Universal House of Justice. This is also the case with
Bahá'u'lláh, Báb, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá - although they are not physically
with us, their spirit and letters guide us as individuals,
communities, institutions, including the Universal House of Justice.
The Will also provides to having a Universal House of Justice without
the Guardian. We both know that the House was elected in 1963, and
when it was elected, all Hands of the Cause submitted their will and
obedience to this great institution, for which Bahá'u'lláh had
provided in the Most Holy Book. In the paragraph #42, this is clearly
stated, that there will be a time when there will be no Aghsan to
lead, and the House will lead.

This believer is openly espousing one of the most pernicious doctrines of the sans-Guardian organization, and that is that Shoghi Effendi's "spirit" continues to guide their UHJ.  He believes that his UHJ is not "headless" because Shoghi Effendi continues to preside over it from the Abha Kingdom.  First, if it were true that it is sufficient for the Bahai Administration to be guided by the Writings and "spirit" of Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha, it begs the question of why it was necessary to have a Guardian at all.  Why did we need Shoghi Effendi to tell us anything at all if Baha'u'llah was guiding us from on high.  Indeed, why did we need Abdu'l-Baha?  He goes on to say that the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha provides for a UHJ without a Guardian.  Oh, really?  Exactly where does it say that?  Not in my copy! 

Of course, this believer must never have read any of the writings of Shoghi Effendi, who pointed out the many functions of the Guardian (such as insisting upon a reconsideration of any enactment he believes is in conflict with Baha'u'llah's utterances, to interpret the Writings to ensure the continuity of the divinely appointed authority and maintain flexibility, to take a long and uninterrupted view over a series of generations, and to expel a member of the UHJ who commits a sin injurious to the common weal)  all of which implicate a living person presiding. Not to mention the numerous references to "present and future Guardians" by Shoghi Effendi or the clear statement in the Will and Testament of Abdul-Baha that there would be future Guardians.

This believer incorrectly paraphrases the Most Holy Book which was talking about endowments for charity and not about the functions of the Guardian.  The idea being expressed, of course, is one of the interpretations of his UHJ, something that is beyond the sphere of its jurisdiction.  The comment that all of the Hands accepted the UHJ is laughable in its ignorance, since the Hands had already expelled one of its own because of his refusal to accept their plan to end the Guardianship and elect a headless UHJ.  The violating Hands bullied and expelled anyone who questioned their authority, even though it is clear and obvious they had no authority whatsoever from the Holy Texts of the Faith.

I wonder if this believer is aware that former NSA Secretary and current NSA member, Dr. Robert Henderson, in his sworn testimony on behalf of the Wilmette NSA in the US District Court in Chicago, on January 7, 2008, DENIES that the Institution of the Guardianship is an official institution of the Bahai Faith:

Q. So, the Orthodox Baha'i Faith Web site -- for example,
Joel Marangella's Web site where he claims to be the Guardian
of the Baha'i faith -- was that -- do you consider that an
official institution of the faith?

A. No. The official institutions of the Baha'i faith are the
ones that I mentioned: The Universal House of Justice in
Haifa, Israel; the 183 National Spiritual Assemblies in
countries around the world; and, the 26,000 or so recognized
local spiritual assemblies.

For more information on the court case brought by the Wilmette NSA against the Orthodox Bahais, go here: http://trueseeker.typepad.com/true_seeker/court_case.html

My suggestion to this believer is that he go back and carefully examine the writings of his leadership and the Holy Text as interpreted by Shoghi Effendi, and try to reconcile their opposing views.  He will see, if he examines this with care and impartiality, that the organization to which he belongs has indeed strayed far from the original teachings of the Faith.

You know very well that Mason Remey, raised the claim to be the next
guardian, but according to the Will, the Hands were invested with the
power to expel from their midst whatever was false. The guy was maybe
moved to raise his claim, because Shoghi Effendi had praised him in
certain tones, and this should be seen as normal on the side of a
loving and caring Guardian, but there is no written statement by the
Guardian about who would be the next guardian to succeed him. You
should remember that Muhammad Ali was called "the Greater Branch" by
Baha'u'llah, and this pumped up his ego and led him break the
Covenant. You also must be ware that Mason Remey was amongst the other
Hands to put down his signature on the document that stated that there
was no way to appoint a future guardian after Shoghi Effendi. Then,
after some time, he came up with the claim of being the guardian.
Could this action not be just a prompting of extreme ego, a great
desire for power and leadership that was devouring his heart and soul,
perhaps initiated by the praising words of Shoghi Effendi? It was a
test my friend, and Mason didn't pass it unfortunately. I hope and
pray that your eyes may be opened regarding this heavy issue. The
Hands were the 'Chief-Stewards', and together they had to lead the
community for six years until the election of the first Universal
House of Justice.

There are so many false statements and assumptions in this one paragraph, I don't know where to begin.  First, the Hands were invested with the authority to expel anyone who opposed the GUARDIAN.  Look at the actual text and don't make up stuff that is not there.  Since they were the ones opposing the Guardian, it is not a surprise that they failed to expel themselves. 

As for the claim "the guy" made, it was not because Shoghi Effendi praised him.  The claim was clearly that as he was the appointed head of the embryonic UHJ, he was the embryonic Guardian, and upon Shoghi Effendi's death, that Institution was born.  Thus, the UHJ with the Guardian as its head came to life upon Shoghi Effendi's death.  Shoghi Effendi's proclamation creating the embryonic UHJ and his appointment of Mason Remey to its presidency are the written documents appointing him (not that a written document is required by the Will and Testament).  His signature was to a document that said no will could be found naming his successor, but the documents also said that the IBC would be allowed to function! There was no will and that is not the proper vehicle to appoint the next Guardian. Therefore, that false legalistic argument has no bearing.  The prompting of extreme ego was not Mason Remey's but instead it was the Hands who did not want to submit to the authority of another Guardian, and especially of Shoghi Effendi's widow who expressly stated that she would not submit to any more Guardians.  Read the history!

As for the Chief Stewards, there is no basis for assuming that the name given to the Hands by Shoghi Effendi implies that they had administrative authority even temporarily.  A steward is a servant, and the role of the Hands, always has been and will be one of servitude to the Guardian.

In the other side, Mason was not an Aghsan, and according to
Bahá'u'lláh's Writings, his successors had to be Aghsan. Also, as I
mentioned above, both Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá provide for the
House of Justice without a living Head. And when you refer to the
Will, as I already stated above, the station of "its sacred Head" is a
spiritual one. So my brother, see with the eyes of spirit and see what
glorious light is coming on earth, streaming forth from the Holy Land,
under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice, which is
protected and guided by the spirit and letters of the Abhá Beauty, the
Exalted, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.

I have asked but I have yet to be shown where in Baha'u'llah's Writings it says a successor had to be Aghsan.  I think this was something concocted by the Aghsan, because it isn't there. 

The one thing I agree with is that the sacred head is a spiritual authority.  The Guardian is a spiritual hereditary office.  It is incumbent upon all Bahais to obey the one appointed by the Guardian.  The one who must overcome spiritual blindness and open his eyes to the light streaming down, is this believer and not the Orthodox Baha'is.  You have been grossly misled my brother, and I urge you to investigate the truth independently.  READ the WRITINGS and the interpretations of Shoghi Effendi and not the nonsense that you are being told at their so-called "deepenings."

I don't know if you ever had the chance to meet with the Universal
House of Justice, but I can assure you that its members are the
incarnation of humbleness, submissiveness and fear of God, and when
you see them together, you will exclaim: "Yea, verily, Bahá'u'lláh has
perfected his Covenant with us". And I can assure you that none of
them bears easily the burden of being a House member. The House of
Justice is leading the community to victories after victories in
establishing the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. His Covenant will make
this possible, and whoever is trying to violate His Covenant, is just
a dead body that the Ocean will cast out in the shore. Take your
chance, perhaps you're still in time, with a breath of life in your
heart!

Nonsense!  The members of the UHJ are violators of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah.  They seek their own glory and power. What arrogance they display by saying that they are perfecting the Covenant!  And exactly what victories are you referring to?  The Bahai Faith has been stagnant for many years. 

I do agree that those who violate His Covenant are a dead body to be cast out on the shore.  I am afraid that it is your organization that is the dead body!  The Covenant is about loyalty to the Center of the Cause.  That is, the GUARDIANS.

And that is in clear contrast to whoever "living guardian" is on
earth, who have been fighting for power and leadership amongst one
another, and you are following one of them. Are they divinely guided
in your estimation? I guess not, and you doubt that, too. Thus, be
warned and pray to Bahá'u'lláh, so that He may guide your heart to His
real source of guidance and Center of His Faith., and ask for His
grace and turn back to the real Ocean of His Guidance, and don't stay
any longer to a pool of mud, which you are considering pure water that
is sheer illusion, my brother. The Writings are like a puzzle,
regarding the issue of the Covenant, and you need to put together all
the pieces from the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi
Effendi to realize the truth from error. And Bahá'u'lláh has done
this, amongst other reasons, to test the hearts and divide the sincere
from the insincere. Which part will you take?

I have no doubt at all that Mason Remey and Joel B. Marangella were and are divinely guided.  Have you read any of their writings to make this determination?  I doubt it.  I was a member of your organization once but I did not let any person prevent me from investigating and reading the writings with an open mind.  I believe that Baha'u'llah has opened up my heart to the truth and for this I have gratitude.  I am no longer spiritually blind.  Are you?

When you denounce the living Guardians on the earth, you are displaying that you oppose the Guardian.  Read the Will and Testament and see what Abdu'l-Baha says about opposing the Guardian:

The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through
obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is
incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the
Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their
obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian
of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He
that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach
in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will  become a
manifestation of the Center of Sedition.

Nothing could be more clear.  But I do agree the writings are a puzzle on the subject of the Covenant and they are a test to divide the sincere from the insincere.  Have you read them carefully or are you adopting the opinions that others have spoon fed to you? 

I am hoping with my whole being that you may be guided and return to
the real Covenant, and that you will attract others to His Faith and
Covenant under the Universal House of Justice. That will be your
eternal glory, and not what you are doing now. Come and embrace His
community and be faithful to His Covenant. You don't loose anything,
but your "idle fancies and vain imaginations" that the 'guardians'
have disseminated in your heart and hearts of others like you,
orthodox. Break this earthly chain and rise up to the Heaven of His
glorious Kingdom, part of which is being obedient to the institution
appointed in His Most Holy Book, seated on the Most Holy Mountin.

I will pray for your guidance and you pray for my forgiveness, if my
words were too harsh on you.

Likewise, I hope my words were not to harsh on you. Sometimes you have to be harsh to wake people up. Likewise, I hope you will return to the real Covenant, the one of obedience to the living Guardian.

Jeffrey

NSA testimony reveals true reasons for court action

The US District Court in Chicago held an evidentiary hearing on January 7, 2008, on the question of whether the OBF was in privity with Mason Remey's organization (the NSA of Bahais under the Hereditary Guardianship) and therefore bound by the 1966 Judgment entered against the Remey group. The hearing was held in order for the Court to decide material issues of fact in dispute in connection with the sans-Guardian Wilmette NSA's motion for contempt against the Orthodox Baha'is (and also the Neal Chase organization.

One of the Wilmette NSA's witnesses was NSA member and former Secretary Dr Robert Henderson, who testified about the reasons for bringing the motion.  What is startling about this testimony, as against the OBF, is that the NSA's motion has offered up the pretense that the OBF's use of its trademarks (that is, the word "Baha'i") is causing reputational harm to the NSA. 

In this testimony, Dr. Henderson admits that the only thing objectionable about the OBF web sites is the "thematic misrepresentation" that there is or could be more than one Baha'i faith (or one other than the sans-Guardian one).  In other words, it is the very existence of the OBF that bothers the NSA, and its motion seeks to silence the OBF:

MR. JEFFERY A. HANDELMAN, Attorney for NSA (Direct Examination):
Dr. Henderson, what caused the NSA to file the current contempt motion
that is now pending before the Court?

DR. ROBERT HENDERSON: The National Spiritual Assembly became aware, as
a result of reports, that there were Web sites that were
misrepresenting Baha'i belief and claiming to be official institutions
of the Baha'i faith. We hadn't seen them, but we began to get reports.
And upon investigation, we were alarmed to find that there were Web
sites claiming to be the official institutions of the Baha'i faith and
-- and -- presenting beliefs which were in direct conflict to Baha'i
teachings and Baha'i principles and at broad variance.

We had significant concerns about this. First, we were concerned about
Baha'i refugees who were forced to flee their homes and their home
countries because of their belief in the Baha'i faith, and who, in
some cases, had corresponded with the wrong institutions, thinking
that they were corresponding with the international
governing body of the Baha'i faith and, in fact, they were sending
their correspondence to some other institution.

Secondly, we were concerned about the public because one of our major
strategies is to advise the public of the teachings and the fact and
general aim of the Baha'i faith through the Internet. In fact, our Web
site has won several awards for excellence from the National Religious
Communication -- Communicators -- Council, which is an organization
that looks at religious publications and Web sites and videos, and so
forth.

And we won the gold medal, in fact, as having the best Web site of the
faith communities in the United States.

And, so, this is a primary means by which we communicate Baha'i
belief, and who are the Baha'is, and what do we believe, and what do
we do, and where can you find Baha'is close to you.

Suddenly, we began to receive some alarming reports from people who
were not Baha'is, but who were investigating the Baha'i faith through
the Internet, concerned about what they were reading on Web sites
claiming to be official Baha'i Web sites. And their concern was
stimulated by the fact that the content on these Web sites was in
direct conflict with their understanding of Baha'i belief; and, in
fact, it was in direct conflict.

And, then, lastly, there were -- or penultimately, we were concerned
about the Baha'is themselves who might be misled and find themselves
involved in discussions -- in fact, this did occur; find themselves
involved in Internet forums and the like and corresponding -- with
organizations that were not part of the National Spiritual Assembly.

And last, we were concerned with reputational harm. As I mentioned, we
have extensive and longstanding relations with the United Nations,
with the White House, with the -- with both Houses of Congress, with
the human rights community. And these are based on principles of peace
and cooperation, of universal fellowship, of race unity, of the
equality of women and men, and so forth. All of the Baha'i principles
centered around facilitating unity and cooperation and universal well-
being and social progress.

These Web sites have alarming content that were in direct conflict
with Baha'i teachings and, in some cases, even suggested that harm
would come to institutions that we have long supported.

For example, in one case -- as I mentioned, we have had a non-
governmental organization in the United Nations since its formation in
1948 and have consultative status with ECOSOC, and so on and so forth.
One of the Web sites we read said that the United Nations would be
nuked.

Well, there's no such Baha'i teaching suggesting that. It is
completely antithetical to the teachings of our faith and very
damaging to a member of the United Nations that might read that and be
confused and think that Baha'is believe that destruction would come to
an organization that we have been so vigorously supportive of and so
deeply involved in.

===================================================
Later:

MR. JEFFREY A. GOLDBERG, Attorney for the OBF (Cross Examination): You
said in your testimony that you found these Web sites that were
mimicking the official institutions of the faith. Can you tell me
which ones they were? Were those Orthodox Baha'i Faith Web sites?

DR. ROBERT HENDERSON: There were several of them. The one that comes
readily to mind is Baha'is Under the Provision of the Covenant. And,
then, there were Web sites claiming to be the official Universal House
of Justice. And --
(Brief pause.)

BY THE WITNESS:

A. Those are the ones that come readily to mind.

BY MR. GOLDBERG:

Q. So, the Orthodox Baha'i Faith Web site -- for example, Joel
Marangella's Web site where he claims to be the Guardian of the Baha'i
faith -- was that -- do you consider that an official institution of
the faith?

A. No. The official institutions of the Baha'i faith are the ones that
I mentioned: The Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel; the 183
National Spiritual Assemblies in countries around the world; and, the
26,000 or so recognized local spiritual
assemblies.

Q. So, has the Orthodox Baha'i Faith ever represented that it was the
Universal House of Justice --

A. I don't know.

Q. -- or the National Spiritual Assembly?

A. I don't know.

Q. And you also mentioned that there were beliefs in conflict on the
Web site of the Baha'i teaching. And with the exception of the
Orthodox Baha'i Faith's teachings about that they believe that Joel
Marangella's the Guardian, can you identify any beliefs that are set
forth in our -- in the Orthodox Baha'i Faith -- Web sites that has
anything that is in conflict with Baha'i teachings as you know --
understand them?

A. There were -- in the range of Web site material that I've read,
there were -- several thematic misrepresentations and factual
representations.

The first was that there is an alternate Baha'i faith. There is not.
This notion that we are orthodox or true, that we are official, stands
in direct conflict to the fundamental principle of the Baha'i faith;
which is, the unity of faith.

Anyone is free to believe what they wish. Privately they can enjoy
freedom of belief, and they can think of themselves as whatever brings
meaning and spiritual cohesion to their lives. But when you begin to
present yourself and to present counterclaims as being official or
orthodox or more true to an established entity, the Baha'i faith is --
has teachings and laws and principles and structure that make up the
faith itself. That provides its cohesion and its integrity.

The -- these Web sites claim to be the orthodox manifestation of that
or the official counterpart to that. It's a fundamental conflict in
Baha'i belief. It simply does not parse in Baha'i teachings or
principles.

Court Case Update

I have updated the web page on the pending court case (the Wilmette NSA's contempt action against the Orthodox Baha'is). Go to http://trueseeker.typepad.com/true_seeker/court_case.html

I have added the NSA's Post-Hearing Brief and the OBF's Response Brief.  The NSA's reply is due February 4, 2008.

I will have more about the trial in the near future.

Jeffrey