POSTED ON BEHALF OF THE GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
"FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO" - JESUS CHRIST
The above words uttered by Jesus Christ on the cross at the hour of His
crucifixion may aptly be applied to the equally despicable spiritual
crucifixion by the Hands of the Cause of Mason Remey, following the
issuance
of his Proclamation to the Baha'i World at Ridvan 1960 as the second
Guardian of the Cause of God.
Can we forgive, however, the inexplicable spiritual blindness and loss of
faith in the indestructible Covenant of Baha'u'llah and the Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha--the sacred and immortal "Child of the
Covenant"--exhibited by his fellow-Hands, who had but recently attained
their spiritual rank. For, in the hasty and unwarranted decision they
would
make to declare the Guardian****p at an end, upon the passing of Shoghi
Effendi in 1957, they would destroy not only the "Center of the Cause"
but,
as well, the institution of the Hands of the Cause (who are solely
appointed
by the Guardian) and the Universal House of Justice, over which only the
Guardian presides for life as its "sacred head" under the terms of the
Will
and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha. And thus they would shamefully dismantle
"the
machinery of its highest institutions" and "the supreme organs of its
unfolding Order" that Shoghi Effendi had "at long last" erected "in their
embryonic form" at "the World Center of the Faith" as announced in his
message of 30 June 1952 to the Baha'i World.
These now wayward Hands turned a deaf ear to both Mason Remey's written
appeals and the frequent verbal appeals he had made to reconsider their
abandonment of the Guardian****p during a period of two and a half years
following the passing of Shoghi Effendi. They then subsequently failed,
upon the receipt of his Proclamation at Ridvan 1960 to recognize his
rightful and clear accession to the Guardian****p on the basis of his
appointment by Shoghi Effendi as the President of the International Baha'i
Council--the embryonic Universal House of Justice--whose Presidency can
only
be exercised by the Guardian of the Faith (and, for this reason, had been
carefully retained as an inactive body during the remaining years of
Shoghi
Effendi's ministry). In their persistent blindness, these fallen Hands
did
not seem to realize what they had done in declaring the Guardian****p of
the
Faith at an end, for, if this ignominious decision would remain
unchallenged, the World Order of Baha'u'llah, this "most great
Order"--"the
Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven"-- could never become a
reality,
in the absence of the divinely-appointed Institutions of the Baha'i
Administrative Order, as delineated by 'Abdu'l-Baha in His Will and
Testament.
Little wonder that Shoghi Effendi had chosen Mason Remey as his successor,
despite his age, for 'Abdu'l-Baha, had frequently eulogized him in His
Tablets, addressing him in one Tablet as His "dear son" and in another
significantly promising him that, "Ere long, thy Lord shall make thee a
sign
of guidance among mankind." Moreover, his multiple outstanding services to
the Faith during more than half a century had far surpassed the services
of
any other believer. The spiritual blindness of these Hands, who, unlike
those who condemned Jesus to death, had never been His followers, whereas,
in marked contrast, the Hands had formerly been champions of the Covenant
of
Baha'u'llah and faithful believers who had attained their rank as Hands of
the Cause and been appointed by Shoghi Effendi in recognition of their
exemplary service to the Faith. Therefore, the inexplicable faithlessness
they had now exhibited in their abandonment of the Guardian****p and
failure
to recognize Shoghi Effendi's appointed successor, was stark evidence of
an
inexcusable spiritual blindness that even surpassed that which had
afflicted
those who failed to recognize the station of Jesus Christ and had then
ignominiously condemned Him to death on the cross.
Little did the Hands realize that Mason Remey, whom they had accused of
apostasy and cast out of the sans-Guardian Faith that they now espoused
and
whom they imagined had been consigned forever to a spiritual death would,
with the issuance of his Proclamation, arise triumphantly from this death
and be recognized by a small ban of believers who had steadfastly retained
an unwavering faith in the indestructibility of the Covenant of
Baha'u'llah
and in the immutability of the provisions of the divinely-conceived and
sacred Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha. These believers joyfully
responded to his Proclamation that set forth in completely valid and
rational arguments the basis for his accession to the Guardian****p and
accordingly embraced him as the second Guardian of the Faith. They have
now
faithfully embraced, as well, his duly appointed successor.
For further detailed information that provides conclusive and undeniable
proof that Shoghi Effendi faithfully provided for the continuation of the
Guardian****p of the Cause of God, as enjoined by the sacred provisions of
the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, visit the following web page:
http://www.Bahai-Guardian.com
Joel Bray Marangella
Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
May 2008
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