"I thought this too, until someone suggested to me that the guidance of the first Guardian as laid down in numerous letters could be seen as that there is still a Guardian, and that the Universal House of Justice consults with the Guardian when they consult his letters."
Dear Janine, I think the Guardian's interpretations continue to serve the function of the Guardianship such that were the House to ignore them they would essentially be 'mutilating' the Cause by divorcing it from the Guardianship. However, the Will and Testament makes provisions for a continuing line of Guardians by stating how they are to be selected, etc. That didn't happen because all those who might have been eligible violated the Covenant. In other words, if there isn't a continuing line of Guardians it was because of the sinfullness of some of the believers, not any lack of ismat on Abdu'l-Baha's part. warmest, Susan __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
