Re: Sects
The Baha'i Studies Listserv The repetition of these statements made by the so-called Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant, and the hurt and shock we experience as we hear them, brings something to mind. There is a story -- now I cannot find the source of it -- of the time after the Passing of Baha'u'llah when the Covenant-breakers were working against Abdu'l-Baha, but He had not yet announced it to the Baha'i world. And at that time, pilgrims would come to the Holy Land, and the Covenant-breakers would invite a new pilgrim to come to the Mansion. They would throw a feast for him, and write poetry in his honor, flatter him -- and then, gradually instill questions about the integrity of Abdu'l-Baha. One day one of the Covenant-breakers came across Abdu'l-Baha and said that they had invited one of the recent pilgrims to Bahji and were holding a Feast in his honor, and would turn him against Abdu'l-Baha. Abdu'l-Baha smiled and said that they would not get this one; that they would see that their opposition to Abdu'l-Baha would only increase this believer's devotion to the Covenant, and make his love for Abdu'l-Baha even more extreme--and this is what happened. And it seems to me that this can be our response when we hear these accusations against the Hands of the Cause, who protected the Cause of God from the forces of hatred and selfishness -- if we take it properly, it can increase our love for them, and our devotion to the Covenant. When these shocks occur, when we hear these things, they can do us no harm if we pray, and turn to the Will and Testament. They can increase our devotion. I am not recommending, to the extent of one word, that we read Covenant-breaker literature. I think that is a foolish thing to do, and that we should put lots of distance between ourselves and such material. The House has warned us in the strongest possible terms against doing so. But when it comes our way without our asking, there is a healthy response. I personally don't think that in such instances, the best response is to hush things up. Rather, the forces of unity are so strong in the Faith, the light of the Covenant is so strong, that used properly, opposition simply strengthens it. Prayer and study of the Word will use the irritant as a stimulus, and build a protection. I have written a short piece about the preposterous and remarkably flimsy accusations against the Hands http://tinyurl.com/hands-cause based on passages from "The Ministry of the Custodians." The sweet-scented Hands of the Cause were as real and as true as they could be. Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-482641-274...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai...@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
Re: Sects
The Baha'i Studies Listserv > This is an outrageous and contemptible accusation, > and don't try to weasel out of it by saying allegedly. Take it easy, Tim. Stephen assures me that he is a Baha'i in good standing, loyal to the Universal House of Justice, not a member of the BUPC. I think we have to take him at his word. Apparently he is merely repeating their arguments. __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-482497-274...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai...@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
Re: Sects
The Baha'i Studies Listserv > Alledgedly killing Shoghi > Effendi, I say allegedly... She was with him the most and he > was standing between her and the Fund money. Mr. Gray, This is an outrageous and contemptible accusation, and don't try to weasel out of it by saying allegedly. There is zero evidence for what you are saying. By your reasoning someone could stir up doubts about yourself. Who are you, exactly? Are you an agent provocateur? Are you in this email group under false pretenses? Tim __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-482470-274...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai...@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
Sects
The Baha'i Studies Listserv 1. On page 70 of Robert Weinberg's book "Ethel Jenner Rosenberg" there is a pilgrim's note that Mrs. Rosenberg asked Abdu'l-Baha about the "seven churches" in the Revelation of John. The Master reportedly replied that the seven spirits and seven stars in Revelation refer to the seven letters of the name of Baha'u'llah in Arabic. (In Revelation 3:12 there is a promise of the New Name; in Revelation 21:10 and 11 the new name is given.) 2. As to the notion that Baha'is should associate with the Covenant-breakers: "The friends should, without too much dwelling on these negative things, be made to understand that some people are spiritually sick and that their disease is, alas, contagious. Some recover from it, as did Mr. [...] whose heart could not rest till he returned to the fold; others do not. The Master and Baha'u'llah have taught us that associating with these souls is not likely to heal them at all, but on the contrary exposes one to grave danger of contagion. The history of the Faith has proved this over and over again. The only way we can prove to such people that they are wrong is to censure their conduct; if we sympathise with them we only fortify their perversity and waywardness." (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian dated January 23, 1945, Lights of Guidance, 2nd edition, p. 185, #609) 3. As to the slander that Shoghi Effendi was standing between Ruhiyyih Khanum and the Funds of the Baha'i Faith: If Khanum wanted his money, she would have filed a probate proceeding and claimed that all of the Baha'i Funds were now hers -- she did not, she participated in the body of the Hands of the Cause, or more correctly, the body of nine Hands acting as the corporate body "The Custodians of the Baha'i World Faith" receiving control of the properties and funds of the Faith, which they in turn handed over to the House of Justice 6 years later. By the time of Shoghi Effendi's passing, he had transferred most of the properties and funds of the Faith into the name of the Israel Branches of the various National Spiritual Assemblies. After his passing, the Hands were placed as trustees of these bodies. The only fund that was in Shoghi Effendi's name individually was in Switzerland, and Khanum was on it with him, and with her access to this money she provided the funds for his funeral, as she has herself explained, I believe in Volume XIII of the Baha'i World, where she speaks in detail about events after the Guardian's passing. The funds the Hands used to travel during the six years around the world to build up the National Spiritual Assemblies, were provided by Amelia Collins. Brent __ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:arch...@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-482468-274...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to ly...@list.jccc.edu Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai...@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
