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Showing posts with label covenant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label covenant. Show all posts

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Birth of Baha’u’llah


We congratulate you on this auspicious occasion and invite to you to pay attention to the following as sincere Baha’i and true seeker of truths.

They say:

“The covenant of Baha’u’llah , explores two interwoven themes:

One is the concept of a center to which all must turn,

 And the other concerns the standard of conduct that Baha’u’llah expects us to follow when we accept Him and enter into the Tabernacle of His Covenant”.

And they explain the above as under:

“Of course we know that the centre to which all Baha’is turn today is the Universal House of Justice. Baha’u’llah Himself ordained the institution of the Universal House of justice in the Kitab-i-Aqdas and Abdu’l’Baha confirms its authority in His will and Testament”.

We say:

Of course you don’t know that:

 The Headless Universal House of Justice is not the centre to which all Baha’is should turn.

The entity currently to be a Universal House of Justice cannot be an “authoritative” source of guidance for true Bahá’ís because the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha grants the following authority to the Guardian with respect to the UHJ, an authority that is totally lacking in his absence from the so called UHJ.

At the end:

Pay attention to the Will of beloved Master Abdu’l Baha:
“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 Aghsán, the Afnán, 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”.

Dr. A. Parikh,
Hand of the Cause of God,
Member of the Third International Baha’i Council,
The secretary of National Baha’i Council of India.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Message of Love from Living Guardian


During this holy period of Ayyam-i-Ha, the Third Guardian of Baha’i Faith, beloved Joel Bray Marangella addresses to the Baha’i friends in the words of Master, Abdu’l Baha in which he has emphasized the importance of LOVE in one of his wonderful Tablet.   

     "O thou who warmest thyself by the fire of the love of God, spreading from the Tree of the Covenant!  Let thy soul be at ease and thy heart in peace concerning the perfect success and progress which the pen is not able to express, for in a short time thou shall see the flag of the Kingdom waving in those far and wide regions, and the lights of the Truth shining brilliantly in its dawn above those horizons, and thou shalt know that thou art the center of the circle of the love of God, the axis around which souls revolve in their way and supplication to God.  Therefore,, thou must widen thy heart, dilate thy breast,  have patience in plenty, calmness of soul and cut thyself from everything but God !

The above words of the Master are so appropriate and equally apply to all of us who are assiduously laboring today for the victory of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah and its divinely-conceived, sacred and immortal "Child."

Joel Bray Marangella.
The Guardian of Baha’i Faith.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

26th November, Blessed Day of the Covenant

“In a letter dictated by Baha’u’llah and addressed by Mirza Aqa Jan, His amanuensis, to 'Abdu'l-Bahá while the latter was on a visit to Beirut, we read the following: 
"Praise be to Him Who hath honored the Land of Ba (Beirut) through the presence of Him round Whom all names revolve. All the atoms of the earth have announced unto all created things that from behind the gate of the Prison-city there hath appeared and above its horizon there hath shone forth the Orb of the beauty of the great, the Most Mighty Branch of God -- His ancient and immutable Mystery -- proceeding on its way to another land. Sorrow, thereby, hath enveloped this Prison-city, whilst another land rejoiceth... Blessed, doubly blessed, is the ground which His footsteps have trodden, the eye that hath been cheered by the beauty of His countenance, the ear that hath been honored by hearkening to His call, the heart that hath tasted the sweetness of His love, the breast that hath dilated through His remembrance, the pen that hath voiced His praise, the scroll that hath borne the testimony of His writings."
“Abdu'l-Bahá, writing in confirmation of the authority conferred upon Him by Baha’u’llah, makes the following statement: 
"In accordance with the explicit text of the Kitab-i-Aqdas Baha’u’llah hath made the Center of the Covenant the Interpreter of His Word -- a Covenant so firm and mighty that from the beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath produced its like."
               (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 136)

Friday, November 12, 2010

12th November, Birth Anniversary of Baha'u'llah

Celebrating the Birth Anniversary of Baha'u'llah let us think upon collectively on the continuity of 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)."

Friday, March 12, 2010

A Question from a Baha'i Who Is Investigating The Truth Independently

Q: Should I Tell My Bahá'í Friends That I am Studying the Orthodox Faith?

Ans:
Of course, that is entirely up to you. However, you should be aware that just as soon as the heterodox organization finds out that you are reading Orthodox Bahá'í material, the organization will put pressure upon you to stop reading it and to affirm your faith in and obedience to the heterodox organization. Don't make the mistake of believing that your Bahá'í friends will keep the matter confidential. They will not. They will notify an institution of the heterodox organization. You will most likely receive a call from an Auxiliary Board Member who will question you. The ABM will act like he or she is looking out for your own "spiritual health." In fact, the ABM is gathering facts to determine whether or not you should be declared a covenant-breaker for "the good of the entire community." Don't believe you will have a fair hearing or that your "Universal House of Justice" will carefully deliberate about whether or not you are a covenant breaker. They won't. If the ABM does not like your answers, it is likely that your community will be informed that you have a spiritual disease and must be shunned. The ABM will contact your spouse and insist that he or she leave you, together with your kids, and if your family refuses to do so they will be shunned also. You may not have heard about it but this has happened a number of times to others just like you. It will happen to you also. Why do this to yourself? While you are reading the material and before you have made up your mind, the last thing you need is to have this kind of pressure used against you. It may force you to make a decision before you are ready. Why not just quietly read the materials and refrain from telling anybody until you are ready to make a decision?

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

DOES THE RUHI BOOK CONVEY THE TRUE MEANING OF ABDU'L BAHA’S SACRED WORDS?

Do the authors of the manuscript, titled: The Covenant, Unit 2, fairly, completely and honestly teach the true meaning and significance of the Master’s sacred words?

Most certainly, they do not. Cunningly, they totally ignore the first realm of Divine guidance, the interpretation of Bahá'í Holy Writ and the Holy Text, (the “Law of God”), an authority divinely that has been assigned exclusively to the Guardians of the Bahá'í Faith, and, notwithstanding, have the temerity to insidiously pretend that a currently established illegitimate sans-Guardian and so-called Universal House of Justice provides an infallible source of divine guidance. Following is what they have writtten in support of this position on page 68 of the publication: The Covenant, Unit 2, on the same page in which the Master’s words are quoted. .for detail read

DO THEY TEACH IN THE RUHI BOOKS THE TRUE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MASTER’S SACRED WORDS?

Do the authors of the manuscript, titled: The Covenant, Unit 2, fairly, completely and honestly teach the true meaning and significance of the Master’s sacred words? Most certainly, they do not. Cunningly, they totally ignore the first realm of Divine guidance, the interpretation of Bahá'í Holy Writ and the Holy Text, (the “Law of God”), an authority divinely that has been assigned exclusively to the Guardians of the Bahá'í Faith, and, notwithstanding, have the temerity to insidiously pretend that a currently established illegitimate sans-Guardian and so-called Universal House of Justice provides an infallible source of divine guidance. Following is what they have writtten in support of this position on page 68 of the publication: The Covenant, Unit 2, on the same page in which the Master’s words are quoted. .for detail read

Might Of The Covenant

"So firm and mighty is this Covenant," He Who is its appointed Center has affirmed, "that from the beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath produced its like." "It is in dubitably clear," He, furthermore, has stated, "that the pivot of the oneness of mankind is nothing else but the power of the Covenant." "Know thou," He has written, "that the 'Sure Handle' mentioned from the foundation of the world in the Books, the Tablets and the Scriptures of old is naught else but the Covenant and the Testament." And again:"The lamp of the Covenant is the light of the world, and the words traced by the Pen of the Most High a limitless ocean." "The Lord, the All-Glorified," He has moreover declared, "hath, beneath the shade of the Tree of Anísá (Tree of Life), made a new Covenant and established a great Testament . . . Hath such a Covenant been established in any previous Dispensation, age, period or century? Hath such a Testament, set down by the Pen of the Most High, ever been witnessed? No, by God!" And finally:"The power of the Covenant is as the heat of the sun which quickeneth and promoteth the development of all created things on earth. The light of the Covenant, in like manner, is the educator of the minds, the spirits, the hearts and souls of men." To this same Covenant He has in His writings referred as the "Conclusive Testimony," the "Universal Balance," the "Magnet of God's grace," the "Upraised Standard," the "Irrefutable Testament," "the all-mighty Covenant, the like of which the sacred Dispensations of the past have never witnessed" and "one of the distinctive features of this most mighty cycle."

Sunday, December 20, 2009

A SEVERE TRIAL PURSUETH YOU

"O ye that are bereft of understanding! A severe trial pursueth you, and will suddenly overtake you. Bestir yourselves, that haply it may pass and inflict no harm upon you." — BAHÁ’U’LLÁH (p.169, Gleanings )

The above quotation differs in its language from other warnings of Bahá’u’lláh in which He has prophesied a dire catastrophe that is destined to befall the world.
Is there any doubt that He would have foreseen the crisis that was destined to afflict the Bahá’í World with the sudden and unexpected passing of the first Guardian of His Cause and prove to be a supreme test of the believers in their faith in the Covenant He had bequeathed to them and in the immutability and immortality of the divinely-conceived Will and Testament of the Center of the Covenant and the sacred "Child" of that Covenant? For such was the "severe trial" that would suddenly overtake them and which the vast majority of believers including the former Hands of the Cause (with a single notable exception) would tragically and miserably fail to survive.
What greater trial would have been foreseen by Bahá’u’lláh than one in which the fidelity of the believers to the continued Guardianship of the Cause of God and to the Administrative Order of which both He and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had actually been Co-authors would be put to the proof and fail so completely that that they would abandon the divinely-conceived Administrative Order fashioned by "the master-hand of its perfect Architect" and shamelessly substitute, in its place, an obviously deformed, seriously flawed, and corrupted organization of their own making.
Would not Bahá’u’lláh have also foreseen that there would remain a small faithful and intrepid band of supporters of His Covenant who would retain a continuing unshakeable belief and faith in the immortality of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and in the Institution of the Guardianship, as embodied in that Will and whose permanency, throughout the entire duration of His Dispensation, Bahá’u’lláh had Himself promised in the Kitáb-i-Íqán and indirectly in the Tablet of the Holy Mariner and an Institution whose essentiality, indispensability and immortality would be subsequently confirmed and repeatedly emphasized in the writings and in many of the historic and epoch-making messages of Shoghi Effendi?
And would not Bahá’u’lláh have also foreseen the fate that ultimately awaited the illegitimate, headless, man-made body established outside of the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which its members, in their obvious self-delusion would still falsely claim to be the infallible Institution delineated in that sacred Document and, in spite of being a headless body, further incredibly pretend that this body had become the Head of the Faith? Thus, this illegitimate body, in its transparent and spiritual blindness, would flagrantly violate the indestructible, resistless and enduring Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, as He had foretold they would in the Tablet of the Holy Mariner and would, in turn, ignominiously lead the vast majority of the believers throughout the world far astray from that glorious Covenant.
And, finally Bahá’u’lláh would have known that His invincible Covenant would ultimately obtain a lasting victory over this Great Violation and that the divinely-appointed institutions of His Most Great Order would be re-established as delineated by the Center of His Covenant in His Divine Charter and flourish in all of their promised perfection and glory as they achieved maturity in His future World Commonwealth – the Kingdom of God "on earth as it is in Heaven."

Joel Bray Marangella
Third Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith
Australia, January 2004

Thursday, November 12, 2009

HAPPY BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF BAHA’U'LLAH

Celebrating the Birth Anniversary of Baha'u'llah let us think upon collectively on the continuity of 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)."

Friday, June 12, 2009

MEANING OF THE COVENANT

"As regards the meaning of the Bahá'í Covenant:
The Guardian considers the existence of two forms of Covenant both of which are explicitly mentioned in the literature of the Cause.

1.
First is the Covenant that every Prophet makes with humanity or, more definitely, with His people that they will accept and follow the coming Manifestation who will be the reappearance of His reality.

2.
The second form of Covenant is such as the one Bahá'u'lláh made with His people that they should accept the Master. This is merely to establish and strengthen the succession of the series of Lights that appear after every Manifestation. Under the same category falls the Covenant the Master made with the Bahá'ís that they should accept His administration after Him."

(Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 15)

Monday, April 20, 2009

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.

Friday, April 3, 2009

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>


Saturday, March 14, 2009

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

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

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...

Thursday, January 29, 2009

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.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

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.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Why They Shunned the Independent Investigation of Truth?


Sans-Guardian Baha’is Say about us;

> They are Covenant Breakers.
> Do not read their literature.
> Do not visit their internet sites.
> Do not entertain them when they come to meet you.
> Do not discuss the contents of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha.
> Do not accept their view about the Continuity of Guardianship in Baha’i Faith.

WHILE ............

In the words of Baha'u'llah,

"Purge your sight, that ye may perceive its glory with your own eyes, and depend not on the sight of any one except your self, for God hath never burdened any soul beyond its power. Thus hath it been sent down unto the Prophets and Messengers of old, and been recorded in all the Scriptures."