Appointment of New Hands of Cause of God

The Third Guardian of Baha’i Faith Joel Bray Marangella in his Ridvan Message (April-2009) introduced the new Hands of Cause of God.

1. Grace Behrens (Posthumously).

I take this opportunity to recognize belatedly and to name posthumously, dear Grace Behrens, a Hand of the Cause of God. She became renowned for the publication of letters submitted to the editor of the newspaper of Lancaster Pennsylvania, almost on a daily basis over a period of forty one years, totaling 846 letters according to her daughters report, in which she invariably mentioned the Baha’i Faith in some way, to the extent that the readers of the Lancaster newspaper would have all become well aware of the Faith by the time of her passing in 1998.

I also take this opportunity to elevate the following devoted Baha’is whose outstanding services, in various ways, in support of the true Faith and whose exemplary, steadfast and faithful support of my Guardianship over the years have deservedly entitled them to join the ranks of the Hands of the Cause who have been previously named during my ministry:

2. Joel Jani Marangella.

Whose assistance in initially designing, and subsequently establishing and maintaining my internet web page over the years since 1995 has been invaluable and whose expertise has been essential in the subsequent displaying and preserving in an attractive manner on that page of numerous articles, documents, historical photographs, past newspaper advertisements, as well as material from other sources, in support of the Guardianship, all of which has facilitated and contributed to the effective presentation to the Baha’i world via this unique instrumentality of incontrovertible evidence proving the continuation of the Guardianship.

3. James Meyer.

To whom we owe a particular debt of gratitude for the erection of and continued maintenance of a facility on the Meyers property for our use as the National Archives of the Orthodox Baha’i Faith wherein documents of historical value and particularly those covering the years of The Great Violation, among others, are preserved for safekeeping and can be made available for reference by future Baha’i scholars and historians.

4. Dr.A. Parikh.

Whose multiple, untiring and exemplary activities in support of the Guardianship in India have been exemplary and most praiseworthy.

5. Martin Lavalle.

Who has translated numerous long articles of mine into French which have then been posted in the French section of my web page and who has been very active in promoting the Orthodox Baha’i Faith in Eastern Canada.

With loving Ridvan greetings to all,

Joel Bray Marangella

GREETINGS OF RIDVAN

On the happy occasion of Ridvan, first of all I wish to extend my heartiest greetings to the beloved Third Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, Joel Bray Marangella and on behalf of the National (Orthodox) Baha’i Council of India extend greetings to all the Baha’i friends of the world, affiliated with any group, inviting their attention to the following very important quote from his writings:

“To be or not to be faithful to the Covenant, that is the question?”

I pray on this first day of the Baha'i Administrative Year that all of us may be included in the list of those: “Faithful to the Covenant.”

Secretary,
National (Orthodox) Baha’i Council of India.

Study on the Distortions of ITC

A document prepared in March 2006 by the International Teaching Center of the sans-guardian Bahá'ís in Haifa in the title of:“A Study on the Guardianship & The Universal House of Justice”

This study was prepared for the use of Auxiliary Board Members and has no doubt been used extensively for their justification of not including a living guardian in their administrative order, even though Bahá'í Holy Writ ensures a continuous line of living guardians enduring the entire span of the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, lasting at least 1,000 years.

Why a teaching center has to tell ABMs what to believe and discuss about the most basic of the foundational elements of the Faith. Is it that complicated? No, it is not.

In a paperback copy of a book, copyright 1980. Text under the heading:

“Bahá'í Covenant has been modified”. The next to last paragraph of the bogus UHJ version, page 129, in reading the next paragraph on that page, a major, modification provides erroneous information.The first half of the original paragraph, which discusses successive guardians, is no longer there.

They alter the meaning of passages in Baha’i books that were compiled prior to the death of the First Guardian.

Hand of Cause of God David Maxwell wrote a comprehensive Critique on the above study material. <Detail>

Naw Ruz Greetings

We extend our heartiest greetings to all the Bahai friends throughout the world and we pledge on this day to be obedient, submissive and subordinate to the living Guardian of the Cause of God, Joel Bray Marangella, in faithful conformity with the following commands of the Master, Abdu'l Baha, in His Will and Testament:
"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 House of Justice, upon all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissuveness and subordination unto the guardian of the Cause of God to turn unto him and be lowly before him." (Will and Testament - 12).
Dr. A Parikh,Secretary, National (Orthodox) Bahai Council of India.
Vinod Kumar,Secretary, National Teaching Committee.

Violation of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah

This brief historical account is written by the living guardian,
Joel B. Marangella in the hope that the inquiring student of the Bahá'í Faith may gain an insight into the true meaning of loyalty to the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh as he reviews those events which took place shortly preceding and immediately following the passing of Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, and which so tragically led to the subversion of the sacred provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and a shameful betrayal of the acts and works of Shoghi Effendi by a majority of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh......Read More

IRANIAN BAHA'I PRISONERS: The Prisoners of their Conscience

Dear readers,

we the Orthodox Baha’is of the world bring to your kind notice that the newspapers of India and other countries have reported that:

The Iranian ISNA news agency has reported that seven Baha’is are to be put on trial in an Iranian revolutionary court on charges of:

1. Espionage for Israel

2. Insulting religious sanctities

3. Propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

Please note that we, as members of the Orthodox Baha'i Faith, are not affiliated with this Baha’i organization whose members have been accused allegedly of being against this government or country or shall we ever be involved in any kind of espionage, or be guilty of insulting any religion or issuing propaganda against the constitutions of any country.

We follow the commands of the living Guardian of the Baha’i Faith.Our beloved Guardian, Joel Bray Marangella, the third Guardian of Baha’i Faith, has taught us that according to the Teachings of Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, a true Bahai must be completely obedient to the government and follow the laws of the country. We should not insult any religion and must respect them all equally.

We have been enjoined by Him to eliminate:

1. Religious prejudice

2. Racial prejudice

3. Prejudice against women

4. National prejudice

We find in one of the Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha in the book titled "Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha" in which He mentioned the Teachings of Baha'u'llah which He stated "abrogate and nullify religious, racial, political, patriotic and economic prejudices."

The members of this Baha'i organization, who do not accept the living Guardian of the Faith, and who have therefore been classified by us as Heterodox Bahai's, should consider the flagrant inequity and injustice of their own recent decision to initiate legal action against us in a civil court in the United States with the objective of preventing us from calling ourselves Baha'is and using the sacred symbols of our Faith.

We ask them:

Why cannot we call ourselves “Baha’is?

Why cannot we use the word Baha’i?

While these Heterodox Baha'is claim to believe in the elimination of the same prejudices that we do, as listed above, why do they not observe what they preach in their relationship with us?

We therefore invite and urge them to eliminate their blatant prejudice against the Orthodox Baha’is and permit us to freely practice the Bahai Faith under the Guardianship of the living Guardian, Joel Bray Marangella.

We pray for the long life of our Guardian.

Dr. A. Parikh

Celebrating Ayyám-i-Há

Let the days in excess of the months be placed before the month of fasting. We have ordained that these, amid all nights and days, shall be the manifestations of the letter Há, and thus they have not been bounded by the limits of the year and its months. It behoveth the people of Bahá, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name; and when they end --these days of giving that precede the season of restraint--let them enter upon the Fast. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the Lord of all mankind. The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous.

Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 25

DID SHOGHI EFFENDI FORESEE HIS EARLY PASSING?

Did Shoghi Effendi Forsee His Early Passing?

Unequiv0cally and Undeniably Y E S!
The question as to whether Shoghi Effendi had foreseen his early passing is asked by those Bahá'ís who, in their lack of faith in the indestructibility of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and the immutability of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, have inexcusably never taken the time or made the effort to search for an affirmative answer, which, otherwise, they would have been certain they would find, if they were to undertake a thorough review of the actions taken by Shoghi Effendi and particularly of the historic messages he had dispatched to theBahá'í World during the latter years of his ministry. Had they retained an unwavering faith...

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Projecting Wrong Image of Shoghi Effendi

Rúhíyyih Khánum and the former Hands who followed her in violation of the Covenant, as well as the headless and spiritually dead body that they created, all followed a common pattern in which they projected a picture of Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Cause of God, as a weak, irresponsible and careless person who was unfaithful to theWill and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, and without being vouchsafed divine guidance, inspiration, and the protection of God.

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Does Anyone Else have the Right to Expel Believers?

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. There is a sharp distinction between depriving a believer of his voting rights, which is a severe disciplinary measure and not a spiritual sanction, and pronouncing a former believer to be a truly spiritually diseased soul, a soul in the condition the Master referred to when, in His last cable to America before His ascension, He said: 'he who sitteth with a leper catcheth leprosy'. The Guardian has, within the last few years, considered the National Assemblies strong enough to wield the instrument of sanction in the sense of depriving a Bahá’í of his voting rights. But 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. No National Assembly has been given this right and cannot, therefore, review the question or reinstate any one. All any National Assembly can do is to report to the Guardian if they are approached by a Covenant-breaker, and then the Guardian will take action. Read Full Article

5 Reasons to Accept the Continuity of Guardianship

Ross Campbell, on why he accepted Joel Bray Marangella as the 3rd Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, appointed by the 2nd Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, Charles Mason Remey.

Dear friends, It was mutually agreed between myself and a group of Heterodox Bahá'í believers which met together for discussion this afternoon and evening, that I should send out the attached statement openly declaring my submission to the 3rd Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, Joel Bray Marangella. It is correct that I here briefly include my reasons for that submission to the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith and they are these:

1. I have come to understand and believe that the Bahá'í Faith MUST have a Guardian living on Earth amongst us, because the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá, which was identified by the first Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, as "the Charter of the New World Order", provides for a Guardian.

2. I have believed and understand what Shoghi Effendi wrote on page 4 of The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, that the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá and Bahá'u'lláh's Most Holy Book, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, "are inseparable parts of one complete unit", and thus the Will and Testament is Bahá'í Holy Text, which only the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith is Divinely Authorized to interpret, no other person or group.

3. Concerning the Universal House of Justice, the Will and Testament says: "the guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body." The Will and Testament contains no thought or expression authorizing a headless Universal House of Justice.

4. The first Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, Shoghi Effendi, on page 56 of The Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh wrote about "...instruments...which must for all time preserve the unity of the organized followers of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh". I believe that the Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith, as defined and provided for in the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Bahá, is one of those "instruments", even an essential one.

5. I fully believe that the provision in the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá for not only a living Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, but also for the institution the Hands of the Cause, appointed exclusively by the Guardian, as defined in the Will and Testament, is a provision, the neglect or rejection of which, seriously violates the Sacred Plan of Bahá'u'lláh for the Administration of the New World Order, as outlined and defined by that "Charter of the New World Order", the immortal "Child of the Covenant", the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá.

(For more detail <<Click>> )

Where is the missing Bahá'í House of Worship at Mount Carmel

"Regarding the Bahai Temple to be built on Mount Carmel Abdu'l Baha wrote to Mr. Charles Mason Remey of Washington D.C., in a tablet dated October 7, 1921: 'Some time ago I wrote thee a letter the content of which was that, praise be to God, thou hast become confirmed in drawing a plan for the pilgrim house in Haifa. It is my hope that this pilgrim house may be built under your supervision. Also in the future a Mashreq'ul Azkar [current transliteration is "Mashriqu'l-Adhkár"] will be established on Mount Carmel. THOU WILT BE ITS ARCHITECT AND FOUNDER. I give thee this glad tidings.'" (Caps added) Click for full article.

Day of the Covenant

My dear friends, brothers and sisters in the faith, I want to wish you a Happy Day of the Covenant. I want you to know that it is our good thoughts, pure actions, love and hope and faithfulness that help to keep the Covenant alive and well. It is easy if our hearts are soft and trusting and regardless of what others might think or say or do we just keep on doing and thinking and saying the things that are in accordance with our faith. Love your enemies and be a Bahai. When we are tested that is our opportunity to shine.
In that same letter from Abdu'l-Baha, he mentions that "the friends are stars in the high heavens of guidance, celestial bodies in the skies of divine grace, who with all their powers put the dark to flight.
They break down the foundations of malevolence and hate. They cherish but one desire for the world and all its peoples: well-being and peace."

Peace to you all.
Janice

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

GREETINGS TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE WORLD

Celebrating the Birth Anniversary of Baha'u'llah let us think upon collectively on the continuty o f the guardianship, walking on the path of the Covenant.

As our living guardian says:

"The distinguishing characterstic of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah is a Covenant which Baha'u'llah made with His followers to preserve and safe-guard the Faith, following His Ascension, from the divisive and baleful effect of varying interpretations which, have plagued the religions of the past and destroyed the unity of their followers. This Covenant embodied in a specific written Testament designated by Him as the Book of His Covenant (Kitab-i-'Ahd) has no parallel in the Scriptures of any previous Dispensation. In this unique Document, Baha'u'llah conferred the mantle of authority upon His Ascension on the shoulders of His son, 'Abdu'l-Baha, Whome He designated as the Center of His Covenant and "The Most Great Branch" Further in the Most Holy Book of His Revelation (Kitab-i-Aqdas) He proclaimed:
"When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your Faces towards Him Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root."
Lest there be any misunderstanding as to the intent of the above quoted passage, Baha'u'llah clarified it in the Book of His Covenant (Kitab-i-'Ahd) in these Words:
"The object of this sacred verse is none other except the most Mighty Branch ('Abdu'l-Baha)."

All Baha'is are Brothers and Sisters in the Faith

Series of Questions continued from the posting of September 23, 2008
Q.6. Do you believe then that these Baha’is who have been led astray and are now under the leadership of the Haifa organization will forever consider the provisions of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha pertaining to the institution of the Guardianship no longer applicable?
Ans. No. If those Baha’is who were formerly ardent and faithful believers during the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi and have now been led to believe that the Guardianship ended with his passing as well as those Baha’is who have accepted the Faith following his passing would investigation fairly, sincerely and without bias the overwhelming evidence attesting to the continuation of the Guardianship found on our several web sites, they would inevitably perceive that the provisions of the divinely-conceived and sacred provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l- Baha pertaining to the Guardianship have remained valid and unalterable and that the first Guardian faithfully fulfilled his obligation to appoint his successor according to its sacred Mandate. Accordingly, I invite and implore all the Baha’i friends to investigate independently and sincerely the truth and accept the “Will and Testament of Abdul Baha” as immutable documentary evidence that has undeniably insured the continuity of the Guardianship.
Q.7. Do I understand that the Baha’is under the Guardianship (i.e. Orthodox Baha’is) consider Baha’is who have rejected the continuation of the Guardianship as violators of the Covenant of Baha’u’llah?
Ans: No, the Guardian of the Faith has asked Orthodox Baha’is, in sharp contrast to the leaders of the sans-Guardian or Heterodox Baha’is who have labeled those of us who support the continuing Guardianship as Covenant-breakers, to consider all Baha’is as brothers and sisters in the Faith who unfortunately have been sadly and ironically lead far astray themselves from the Covenant but who hopefully will eventually, if not at this time, ultimately investigate the truth, embrace completely the provisions of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha as sacrosanct and turn their faces towards and fully support the living Guardian of the Faith, as enjoined by Him in that sacred and immortal Document.
Q. 8. Do I understand correctly that there is no clergy in the Baha’i Faith?
Ans: Yes. We have only the Administrative Order. All Baha’is study the Teachings of Baha’u’llah for themselves and endeavor to teach the Faith to others to the best of their ability.

Birthday of the Bab

On 20th October, the Baha'is observe a holy day as it is the Birth anniversary of the Bab, the Promised One foretold in the great religions. This date marks the anniversary of His birth, He was known as Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad and was born in 1819 in Shiraz, Iran.

On this grand moment we offer our heartiest greetings to our beloved living guardian and to all the Baha'is of the world.

The First Guardian Shoghi Effendi wrote in the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah:

"Dearly beloved friends! That the Bab, the inaugurator of the Babi Dispensation, is fully entitled to rank as one of the self-sufficient Manifestations of God, that He has been invested with sovereign power and authority, and exercises all the rights all the rights and prerogatives of independent Prophethood, is yet another fundamental verity which the Message of Baha u llah insistently proclaims and which its flowers must uncompromisingly uphold. That He is not to be regarded merely as an inspired Precursor of the Baha’i Revelation………
There can be no doubt that the claim to the twofold station ordained for the Bab by the Almighty, a claim which He Himself has so boldly advanced, which Baha u llah has repeatedly affirmed, and to which the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha has finally given the sanction of its testimony, constitute the most distinctive feature of the Baha’i Dispensation."

The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah, page No.31.

SHOGHI EFFENDI on the Institution of the GUARDIANSHIP

Baha’i Faith would be imperiled without the Guardian

The First Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, Shoghi Effendi warned to the Baha’is in his Spiritual Testament “The Administrative Order of The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah” that the Faith would be imperiled, and the stability of entire fabric would be gravely endangered without the guardian. Therefore Baha’is should obey his commandments and search the Living Guardian of Baha’i Faith.
He wrote:
“An attempt, I feel, should at the present juncture be made to explain the character and functions of the twin pillars that support this mighty Administrative Structure—the institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice. To describe in their entirety the diverse elements that function in conjunction with these institutions is beyond the scope and purpose of this general exposition of the fundamental verities of the Faith. To define with accuracy and minuteness the features, and to analyze exhaustively the nature of the relationships which, on the one hand, bind together these two fundamental organs of the Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and connect, on the other, each of them to the Author of the Faith and the Center of His Covenant is a task which future generations will no doubt adequately fulfill. My present intention is to elaborate certain salient features of this scheme which, however close we may stand to its colossal structure, are already so clearly defined that we find it inexcusable to either misconceive or ignore”.

Twin Pillars of Bahai Faith “The Guardianship and UHJ” should be regarded as divine.
He wrote:
“It should be stated, at the very outset, in clear and unambiguous language, that these twin institutions of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh should be regarded as divine in origin, essential in their functions and complementary in their aim and purpose. Their common, their fundamental object is to insure the continuity of that divinely appointed authority, which flows from the Source of our Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings. Acting in conjunction with each other these two inseparable institutions administer its affairs, coordinate its activities, promote its interests, execute its laws and defend its subsidiary institutions. Severally, each operates within a clearly defined sphere of jurisdiction; each is equipped with its own attendant institutions—instruments designed for the effective discharge of its particular responsibilities and duties. Each exercises, within the limitations imposed upon it, its powers, its authority, iits rights and prerogatives. These are neither contradictory, nor detract in the slightest degree from the position which each of these institutions occupies. Far from being incompatible or mutually destructive, they supplement each other’s authority and functions, and are permanently and fundamentally united in their aims”.
Divorced from the institution of the Guardianship the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh would be mutilated
He wrote:
“Divorced from the institution of the Guardianship the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh would be mutilated and permanently deprived of that hereditary principle which, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written, has been invariably upheld by the Law of God. “In all the Divine Dispensations,” He states, in a Tablet addressed to a follower of the Faith in Persia, “the eldest son hath been given extraordinary distinctions. Even the station of prophethood hath been his birthright.” 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 Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha is according to the Author of Kitab-i-Aqdas
He wrote:
“Severed from the no less essential institution of the Universal House of Justice this same System of the Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would be paralyzed in its action and would be powerless to fill in those gaps which the Author of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas has deliberately left in the body of His legislative and administrative ordinances”.
The Administrative Order of the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah. Page No.4 & 5 (Printed by Mother Bahai Council of the United States, 1993.

Compiled by the Secretary of the National Baha’i Council of India.

Why do they Deny the Continuance of the Guardianship?

Series of Questions continued from the posting of September 7, 2008

Q.5. What is the reason then why the present group of Baha’is under the leadership of the Haifa organization do not recognize the continuance of the Guardianship?
Ans. Upon the passing of Shoghi Effendi in November 1957, a majority of the Baha’is were tragically led astray from their former faithful adherence to the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha by the highly revered Hands of the Cause (distinguished and highly esteemed assistants appointed by the Guardian who serve under his direction) who, upon the passing of Shoghi Effendi, failed to recognize the import and significance of Shoghi Effendi’s appointment of Mason Remey as President of the first International Baha’i Council (the embryonic Universal House of Justice) over which according to the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha only the Guardian of the Faith presides as its “sacred head” and for this reason had been carefully retained by Shoghi Effendi as an inactive body, pending his passing. These Hands, losing sight of the fact that the Guardian must appoint his successor “in his own life-time” and therefore not by a conventional will and testament, upon not finding such a will, erroneously concluded that the Guardianship had come to a premature end. They then appointed a body of nine Hands from their own number, a body outside the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, which assumed the role and functions of the Guardianship and took control of the world administrative seat of the Faith in Haifa. Some six years later, in 1963,this body transferred the authority and functions it had illegitimately assumed to the UHJ in Haifa, a now headless and incomplete body in the absence of a presiding Guardian, whose successor elected bodies have been similarly named Universal Houses of Justice. It should be clearly understood that the Universal House of Justice established by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in His Will and Testament was designed as the supreme legislative body of the Faith, in contrast to the Guardianship who is endowed with supreme executive authority in the Faith, and for this reason these two institutions of the Baha’i Administrative Order are complementary and inseparable and have been referred to by Shoghi Effendi as the “twin institutions” of the Faith. As the so-called UHJ in Haifa is currently inappropriately exercising both executive and legislative functions, this body is therefore rightfully considered by Orthodox Baha’is to be a patently illegitimate body. Furthermore, under the terms of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha the Guardian of the Faith, is not only designated the “Center of the Cause” and the sole interpreter of Baha’i Holy Writ but he is endowed, as well, with the essential function of presiding, for life, as “the sacred head” of the Universal House of Justice, and as the sole interpreter of the Words of Baha’u’llah, thereby insures that the UHJ does not consider, much less pass, any legislation that would be contrary to the spirit or meaning of the laws revealed by Baha’u’llah or would run counter to His utterances.

No Excuse in the Next World

WHAT WILL BE YOUR EXCUSE WHEN YOU MEET SHOGHI EFFENDI IN THE NEXT WORLD? (A POSSIBLE CREDIBLE SCENARIO)
SHOGHI EFFENDI’S UNDOUBTED INITIAL COMMENTS:
He would certainly say to you how greatly shocked, dismayed and saddened he had been, upon his passing, to note that so many of the believers, like yourself, who during his ministry had ostensibly evinced such faithful and steadfast faith in the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh and firm belief in the sacredness and immutability of the divinely-conceived Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in which the Guardian of the Cause of God is named as “The Center of the Cause,” and “the sacred head and distinguished member for life” of the Universal House of Justice had then readily accepted, without question, the incredulous conclusion that had been hastily reached and proclaimed to the Bahá’í World by the Hands of the Cause, gathered in conclave at Akká but a few weeks following his passing, that the Guardianship had come to a premature end based on the transparently fallacious argument that because all of the Aghsán had either died or had been declared violators of the Covenant he had left no will and testament appointing a successor.
YOUR PROBABLE EXCUSE:
As you considered the Hands who had been appointed by Shoghi Effendi to this exalted rank were more conversant on the Teachings and the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá than you were, they must have been right in their conclusion that the Guardianship had come to an end......... >>>DETAIL<<<

An article by the Third Living Guardian of the Baha'i Faith Joel Bray Marangella.

“The Center of the Cause”

Series of Questions continued from the posting of August 5, 2008
Q.3. How, or on what basis, did he become Guardian of the Faith?

Ans: A very pertinent question to which there is a clear and unambiguous answer. His accession to the Guardianship was on the basis of his appointment in 1951 by his predecessor in Office, the second Guardian of the Faith, who had been appointed himself by the first Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, the Grandson of Abdu’l-Baha, the Son of the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u’llah, Who had been named by Him the Center of His Covenant with the believers. Abdu’l-Baha delineated the Institutions of the Baha’i Administrative Order in His Will and Testament in which the Guardianship is designated as “The Center of the Cause” and an Institution that is occupied without interruption by a succession of Guardians, each appointed by his predecessor in that Office throughout the duration of the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah, promised by Him to endure at least a full thousand years.

Q.4. You maintain therefore that Joel Marangella became the third Guardian of the Faith strictly on the basis of the provisions of the “Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha?

Ans: Yes. But, although none of the Baha’is deny the authenticity of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha and recognize it as Baha’i Holy Writ and a Document, in accordance with whose terms, Shoghi Effendi became the first Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, those Baha’is, under the leadership of the Haifa organization, have not recognized the fact that Shoghi Effendi, faithfully provided for the continuation of the Guardianship, in accordance with these same terms, in appointing as his successor, Mason Remey, a highly distinguished Hand of the Cause, who then, in turn, dutifully appointed as his successor, the present third Guardian of the Faith, Joel Marangella, also in accordance with these terms.

Is the bogus UHJ a legitimate Bahá'í entity?

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

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

Is the bogus UHJ a legitimate Bahá'í entity?

This is a question that Heterodox Bahá'ís should ask themselves. The only way to find the right answer is to check and test the establishment and structure of that body and its claims, practices and writings in the light of the sacred writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, stated that:

“the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá-- "The Charter of the New World Order”-- "together with the Kitab-i-Aqdas,“ . . . "are inseparable parts of one complete unit”

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

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

“And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers… By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in his stead…

(`Abdu'l-Bahá, The Will and Testament, p. 14)

To read the full article<<>>

SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS

Our Travel Teachers faced a series of questions from the Baha’is (Sans Guardian believers) during the discussions and debate regarding the Continuity of Guardianship in Baha’i Faith. Following are the answers of two questions and the remaining will be published in series.
You are welcome to write to us any doubt you have regarding to the "continuity of guardianship" in Baha’i Faith.
In the services of third guardian of Baha’i Faith.
Rajendra Upadhyaye.

Question: Why do you call yourself an Orthodox Baha’i?
Answer: When you come to know the history of the Baha'i Faith, you will learn that the Baha'is are now divided into two major groups, one group organized since 1963 under the leadership of a body calling itself the Universal House of Justice (UHJ) based in Haifa, Israel, and the other group under the guidance of the third Guardian of the Faith.

Question: As you have said, the UHJ is based in Haifa, then where is the Headquarters of the Baha’i group under the Guardian?
Answer : The Third Living Guardian of Baha’i Faith is Mr. Joel Bray Marangella who has been exiled from his rightful place in Haifa and resides at this time in Australia. He guides the Orthodox Baha’is of the world. He has appointed Hands of Cause of God, an International Baha’i Council with its seat in the United States, and on a provisional basis both National Baha’i Councils and Local Baha’i Councils in different cities which in due course will become elected bodies.

Guardian in the eyes of Bahiyyih Khanum

Bahiyyih Khanum wrote:
Shoghi Effendi, the chosen branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, has been received together with the scrolls of doubt you had enclosed. Indeed, men whose nostrils have been perfumed by the fragrance of the Abhá Paradise, whose ears have been exhilarated by the sweet melodies of the nightingale warbling in the rose-garden of immortality, and whose souls have been refreshed and quickened by the reviving breaths of holiness, would surely be saddened to hear the screech of the raven and the croaking of the crow, and from them they would certainly endeavour to flee. For the disgusting odour of violation is like poisonous air, whose baneful effects upon the body and soul are injurious and harmful, nay rather it will eventually lead to terrible loss and perdition. Thus the way you have dealt with this matter is approved and acceptable.....>>>Click for full article<<<

There is no one with authority to judge a Guardian:

It is questionable who has the authority to judge a Guardian in regards to matters related to the Cause; to say in this case or that case he made a mistake? We have seen in T.R.B. some comments that Shoghi Effendi made a mistake because he did not announce his successor more clearly than he did or that Mason Remey made a mistake because he delayed making his proclamation or similarly why did Joel B. Marangella wait so long to issue his proclamation? My answer is: those things or similar things had to happen. They were guided to do it the way they did. If Shoghi Effendi trusted Rúhíyyih Khánum, he did not make a mistake as she was a Hand of the Cause and also his secretary. Moreover, she was his wife, and all of the records of her writings prior to the passing of the first Guardian reveal to the reader her profound knowledge of the Faith and the Covenant and emphasize her clear testimony to the necessity of the continuation of the Guardianship until the end of the Bahá'í Dispensation. If Rúhíyyih Khánum after the passing of Shoghi Effendi followed the satanic promptings of her human soul, that was her great error which made her the "Arch Covenant-breaker." The Guardians are not prophets. Some people claim that the Manifestations of God have made a lot of mistakes (which is not true), the fact is that we cannot judge those things that have been done or have happened in the past according to today's knowledge and understandings and conditions. We cannot blame Jesus for what He did with the businesses in front of the Temple, which by today's laws would be considered a crime. He did what He had to do then according to the Will of God. Some people have raised questions as to why Shoghi Effendi put so many of his relatives out of the Faith. The fact is that the condition of the Faith in its infancy required a non-tolerant discipline and on the other hand those relatives' exploitation and misuse of the privileges that they possessed was not acceptable and they left no other choice for the Guardian. He did what he had to do according to the Will of ............. Click for detail

By Hand of the Cuase of God Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand