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Sunday, November 23, 2008

The True Faith has the Guardian at its head

The reality is that there is not a single sect of the Bahá'í Faith. There are a number of denominations. But there is only one true Faith. As Bahá'ís, our spiritual mission is to "inhale the fragrance" of the truth and choose the true Faith.
The vast majority of Bahá'ís have lost faith in the Guardianship. Then there are the Orthodox Bahá'ís, a small band of believers, whose faith in the Guardianship has never been stronger. The entire difference between the two groups can be attributed to the interpretation of this passage of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Will and Testament:
"O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing. He that is appointed must manifest in himself detachment from all worldly things, must be the essence of purity, must show in himself the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learning. 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."
There is an apparent ambiguity: does "branch" refer only to the Sons of Bahá'u'lláh, or to any of the members of His family, or does is it refer spiritually to any faithful believer whom the Guardian is divinely guided to appoint as his successor (the one in which is found "the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learning")?
The Orthodox Bahá'ís assert that the passage is not ambiguous or open to interpretation but the Will clearly allows the Guardian to appoint a successor of his choosing in any manner of his choosing as long as it occurs during his lifetime.
Bahá'u'lláh says: "Know thou that the passages that We have called "ambiguous" appear as such only in the eyes of them that have failed to soar above the horizon of guidance and to reach the heights of knowledge in the retreats of grace. For otherwise, unto them that have recognized the Repositories of divine Revelation and beheld through His inspiration the mysteries of divine authority, all the verses of God are perspicuous and all His allusions are clear. Such men discern the inner mysteries that have been clothed in the garment of words as clearly as ye perceive the heat of the sun or the wetness of water, nay even more distinctly. Immeasurably exalted is God above our praise of His loved ones, and beyond their praise of Him!" Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 25
The true Faith has the Guardian at its head.
The third Guardian's web site:http://www.bahai-guardian.com/
By Hand of Cause Jeffrey Goldberg

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