FAITH AND BELIEF
Around the world, millions of people claim to be Bahá’ís, . . . but ARE THEY? What does it mean to be a Bahá’í? According to Shoghi Effendi, among the requirements to be a Bahá’í are:
"Full recognition of the station of the Forerunner [The Báb], the Author [Bahá’u’lláh], and the True Exemplar of the Bahá’í Cause, [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] 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."
So first of all it means that they claim to BELIEVE in Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation of God for this age. They accept the Bahá’í Faith, meaning that they have "FAITH" in Bahá’u’lláh. The Dictionary defines FAITH as belief, trust, confidence or conviction (a strong belief) in respect of religion. In the Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas revealed by Bahá’u’lláh He says:
"THE FIRST DUTY prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth everyone who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration."
Therefore, we have to both recognise that Bahá’u’lláh is the Manifestation of God, and also be obedient to His laws and ordinances. This we do through FAITH AND BELIEF. If we do not BELIEVE in Bahá’u’lláh, and/or fail to be obedient to His laws and ordinances we haven’t even fulfilled our first duty! TOTAL BELIEF IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.
Bahá’u’lláh has then revealed: "They whom God hath endued with insight will readily recognize that the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples."
The above statement confirms the absolute need for obedience to the precepts laid down by God, and nothing but true faith and TOTAL BELIEF will enable us to fulfill these duties.
In order for the Bahá’í Faith to remain free from schism or disintegration, Bahá’u’lláh established His Covenant, and named His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant, and His successor. In His "Tablet of the Branch" He says: "Whosoever turns to Him [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] hath surely turned unto God, and whosoever turneth away from Him hath turned away from My beauty, denied my proof, and is of those who transgress. Verily, He is the remembrance of God amongst you and His trust within you, and His manifestation unto you and His appearance among the servants who are nigh. . . . " This calls on us to BELIEVE TOTALLY in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and turn to Him, otherwise we are turning away from Bahá’u’lláh and demonstrating complete lack of Faith! After Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension most followers BELIEVED in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, but some did not. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá relates the trials and tribulations He suffered as a result of these Covenant Breakers in the first chapter of His Will and Testament. Fortunately, because of the power of the Covenant the Bahá’í Faith remained safe and secure.
To ensure the Bahá’í Faith continued in total conformity with the Holy Writings, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote a Will and Testament, which was revealed after His ascension in 1921. In it Shoghi Effendi was named as His successor and Guardian of the Cause of God, and He left instructions for the appointment of successors to the Guardianship. Shoghi Effendi refers to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Charter of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, Again TOTAL FAITH AND BELIEF is called for, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states in His Will and Testament, page 11: "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. . .as he is the sign of God, the chosen branch, the guardian of the Cause of God." and "whoso disbelieveth in him hath disbelieved in God; . . . The mighty stronghold (the Cause of God) shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the guardian of the Cause of God."
Therefore, to be firm in the Covenant a True Bahá’í must: BELIEVE in Bahá’u’lláh, BELIEVE in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and BELIEVE in Shoghi Effendi. Not just part of what has been revealed, or written, but all of it—that is, TOTAL BELIEF.
Following the passing of our dear Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, how strong did the Hands of the Cause BELIEVE in what he, had written, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had delineated in His Will and Testament and Tablets or Bahá’u’lláh had revealed? At their very first Conclave in Haifa following his passing, the Hands of the Cause unfortunately showed either a lack of faith, or ignorance of the Holy Writings, for they did not BELIEVE that "This was the Day which will never be followed by Night" about which Shoghi Effendi had written. "In this dispensation, divine guidance flows on to us in this world after the Prophet’s ascension, through, first the Master, and then the Guardians. In "God Passes By", page 99, Shoghi Effendi quotes from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh: "This," He furthermore declares, "is the King of days," the "Day of God Himself," the "Day which shall never be followed by night," the "Springtime which autumn will never overtake," "the eye to past ages and centuries," for which "the soul of every Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted."
So, unless they were ignorant of this, they DID NOT BELIEVE Bahá’u’lláh, or Shoghi Effendi!! Also in His Will and Testament ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had clearly indicated that there would be a continuous line of guardians who would be the "sacred head" [of the U.H.J.] and the distinguished member for life of that body." Besides this, they appointed a body of nine Hands which they called the "Custodians of the Bahá’í World Faith", who, according to their Proclamation issued on November 25th, 1957 would exercise "all such functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith." (See "The Ministry of the Custodians" page 30). According to the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, only a Guardian can appoint his successor. So again, unless they were ignorant of the writings, they lacked FAITH in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Their decisions virtually turned the Bahá’í Faith into a SCHISM by not adhering to what Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi had written, and in its place they set up their own modified version of the Bahá’í Faith, and World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, no longer in accordance with the Writings and lacking the essential Divine guidance provided by the Guardianship. As a result the "World Order of Bahá’u’lláh" as delineated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will and Testament had been mutilated and become obsolete! What a sorry state of affairs! Fortunately there were many Bahá’ís who believed that Shoghi Effendi had appointed a successor, whom they accepted and, remaining fast and firm in the Covenant of God, continued to embrace a Faith that had been retained in absolute purity and in complete conformance with the Holy Writings.
Bahá’u’lláh assures us in His Writings that His Faith will endure, and we, the ORTHODOX BAHÁ’ÍS are working on it, and day by day our numbers are increasing giving us confidence in the future. We look forward to the day when we can all enjoy the Bahá’í Faith as revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, in total love and unity.
Now really is the time to exercise your "Independent Investigation of Truth", which means to consider what you have been told, but be sure that is what the Holy Writings tell you. If it is confirmed by the Holy Writings then it can be believed, but not otherwise! After careful investigation decide whether you BELIEVE that the revised World Order of Bahá’u’lláh formulated by the Hands of the Cause, at their first Conclave in Haifa, in 1957 should be accepted, or the unchanged World Order of Bahá’u’lláh with all of the Institutions intact as delineated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will and Testament, that include a continuous and unbroken line of Guardians, as accepted by the Orthodox Bahá’í Faith.
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Email address in Australia is obfisa@sa.chariot.net.au