Hi Mark!
You wrote: <>However, Shoghi Effendi appears to have believed in degrees of authenticity. The Qur'an is more authentic (from a Baha'i, not necessarily an academic, viewpoint) than "the Bible," just as the actual writings of Shoghi Effendi are more authentic than letters written on his behalf.<>
authentic
1 obsolete : AUTHORITATIVE
2 a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact <paints an authentic picture of our society>
b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features <an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse>
c : made or done the same way as an original <authentic Mexican fare>
3 : not false or imitation : REAL, ACTUAL <based on authentic documents> <an authentic cockney accent>
Lest there be any misunderstanding concerning the "authority" as opposed to "authenticity" of letters written on behalf of the Guardian I'm providing this link from a post to this list in April 2000 which includes this closing comment from the Research Department to the Universal House of Justice:
"From the above extracts it seems fairly clear that letters written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi "related strictly to the Cause and interpretation of the teachings" constitute authoritative Baha'i text, while any personal advice which they may contain is not binding. The Guardian's statement that he reviewed every letter written on his behalf without exception makes it clear that the authority of the letters was independent of whatever personal "sufferings" might have been caused by certain secretaries, and that there was no "delegation" whatsoever of his interpretative authority, but merely a use of secretarial assistance for his huge burden of correspondence."
http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist/m16252.html
Lovingly, Sandra
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