A FRAUDULENT TESTAMENT Part-9

Chapter 10.

 

X. THE BAHAI RELIGION IS ALTERED TO FUNCTION AS "SHOGHISM"

What today is presented as Bahai Religion is in truth, "Shoghism" — Shoghism, the supposed Bahai Religion, as practiced today — Censorship, prohibition of political activity and excommunication are not milestones for a new world order.

What is taught today by the Bahai Administration, the teachings of Shoghi plus the administrative fiddle-faddle is not the Bahai religion, but "Shoghism". All the alterations of the Bahai religion can be classified under this concept: the forged testament with Guardian and Guardianship and his position at the summit of the "World Parliament"; his "bodyguard" (the "Hands of the Cause"); the money offerings, named "Right of God", which must pass through the Guardian to the Cause of God together with the whole Bahai Administration with Local and National Spiritual Assemblies; the Bahai World State, also called Bahai-Commonwealth: the introduction of censorship; the demand of church renunciation by converts; the declaration of trust with by-laws and its inclusion ol the alleged testament of Abdul Baha: religious isolation by prohibition of practicing the active and passive right to vote: excommunication, theocratic organization with Bahai-hierarchy; the subordination of the individual conscience to that of the group: prohibition of free assertion of opinion to be found in the alleged testament of Abdul Baha: the patenting of the name "Bahai", monopoly of the Bahai religion with trials against "Free Bahais" because of the use of the word "Bahai" for a mini-Bahai bookshop, on posters, and in brochures. ²⁸⁹

We would all like to live in a better world, in a world which is closer to the ideal image that the great religious founders of human history drew before us again and again in theory and lived in practice before us. To do this requires, of course, much effort from many human souls, all over the world.

It Is different with Shoghism. There this new world simply comes from the retort with hocus-pocus-falsifications. Therefore it also looks appropriate: Extension of Identification card:

"Is your Bahai card already renewed? On January 31, 1967 the validity of the 1966 stamp runs out" ²⁹⁰

If the situation earlier in Germany was that "Non-Aryans not admitted", this statement now applies for non-Bahais in Haifa.

This news we read in the "Bahai Nachrichten" of Oct. 16, 1964, volume 12. "To our regret relatives who accompany a Bahai pilgrim but who are not Bahais themselves cannot be accommodated in the Pilgrim House and cannot take part in the program of the pilgrim residence. They are, however, welcome If they want to visit the shrines and gardens."²⁹¹

The following example is a foretaste of how complicated and limited life will become:

"Message from the Persian National Spiritual Assembly: Friends who want lo visit Iran are asked first to obtain permission from the Universal House of Justice (in Haifa) by means of the appropriate National Spiritual Assembly. Simultaneously they should inform the Persian National Spiritual Assembly, so that it can forward its decision to the Universal House." ²⁹²

However, if a Bahai from Persia wants to visit us, it is even more difficult: "Legitimation of our newly arrived Persian friends: The Spiritual Assemblies and groups are hereby informed that newly arrived Persian friends are to be asked about their Bahai identification. At the present time these papers are mostly filled out in Persian, therefore the National Spiritual Assembly asks the Spiritual Assemblies and groups to transfer these papers by a local member of the committee of Iranian Bahai Students with a corresponding translation to the Secretary ot the National Spiritual Assembly or, in case members of this committee cannot be reached, directly to the National Spiritual Assembly Secretary." ²⁹³

Two years later, the talk becomes still more open. The Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran literally writes in his newsletter of July 5, 1957, "If a person does not lay before you such a credential letter from us and calls himself a Bahai, you should in no case accept him, even if other Persian friends confirm that they know the person". ²⁹⁴

The following example shows how the Bahais are drawn to hairsplitting:

"Prayers should be read as they were written. Now to your question about prayers and alterations by the pronouncer: This is not allowed to happen, also not in the long prayer of duty or in the prayer of healing. We must either accept the insignificant discrepancies or say a prayer that is appropriate to our sex or our number." ²⁹⁵

True triumphs attain obstinancy and lack of compromise with the Administration Bahais; in spite of this the word "tolerance" is written in capital letters by them (in theory). "If a Bahai who has been taught of the necessity of a Bahai marriage ceremony has only a civil ceremony, the administrative rights must be taken away from him or her.
With kindest regards, The Universal House of Justice."

I do not know how far the "withdrawal of the administrative rights" is from being thrown out of the Bahai Organization. These "administrative rights" essentially consist of the right to vote as a Bahai."²⁹⁶ The Bahai Dogmas —

1. Unreserved acceptance of subordination and adherence to the alleged will of Abdul Baha2.  Absolute bond to the Bahai Administration which is derived from it 3.  Infallibility of the Guardian

are indirectly extended by this important fourth dogma of the regulation of Bahai marriage ceremony, which (up to now) Is not yet retroactive. The penalty for not following the regulation of Bahai marriage is the same as for not recognizing the alleged testament of Abdul Baha and the Bahai Administration which is bound to it" ²⁹⁷ The "kindest regards" of the Bahai World Bureaucracy, then, are supposed to be the band-aid of consolation for this lash of the whip.

The following note by which a woman was raised to martyrdom proves how much one must rearrange his thinking with the Administration Bahais:

". .. an American . , . Lua Getsinger... was on the return trip to America after one of her visits with Abdul Baha in Haifa when she became sick in Cairo and had to leave her ship. While she lay sick In Cairo, the first World War broke out and she did not receive permission to leave the country . . . she took care of the soldiers for many years . .. Lua died a martyr's death in 1916... a modest monument . . . for the first martyr on African soil." ²⁹⁸

During the Guardian's lifetime two other women were raised to martyrdom. Mrs. Keith Ransom-KehIer died in Persia whera she had exerted herself in petitions to the Persian government to obtain greater freedom for tha Bahais again. She was raised lo "martyrdom" Just as Mrs. May Maxwell, who died a completely natural death in Buenos Aires, after she had worked for Bahai Propaganda in South America. According to universal language usage a martyr is a man who offers his blood for his belief or who has had to suffer persecution for this belief. But that is not discussed in the three cases mentioned.

Are all of these earlier mentioned examples assertions of the New World Order "within whose administrative structure an embryonic civilization, incomparable and world-embracing, is imperceptibly maturing"? ²⁹⁹ I can only establish: Everything is turned upside down.

Is it not Irresponsible of the so-called Universal House of Justice in Haifa to encourage the Bahais to go to countries in which the Bahai religion is prohibited? These people sit with well endowed sinecures in Haifa where, at most, curious tourists and pious pilgrims press them and then they write as follows:

To the Bahais of Germany
Haifa,
April 1964

Dearly beloved friends,

The German Bahai Community .. . carries a great responsibility for spreading the light of God's belief over all of Europe, especially eastward into the countries of Eastern Europe ... to far inside Russia "³⁰⁰

The absolute prohibition of the Bahai teachings in the USSR does not go on the account of the Bahai religion, but on to the burden of political Shoghism. One would like to say to that Bahai hierarchy therefore, "Take care that Shoghism will again become the Bahai religion, and also that communism will face again with friendship the teachings of Baha'u'llah and Abdul Baha, as it is expressed in the quoted reports. But as long as you have not done that: Show us a good example! Go yourselves to Russia!"

As already reported, the Guardian had introduced a censorship of everything which was publicly spoken or printed a couple of months after thebeginning of his office. This is not the scientific method! The favorable words which were brought out by personalities in public life who are acquainted with the Bahai religion, be they scientists or writers, have been virtually completely silenced since the death of Abdul Baha. The few exceptions confirm the rule. If the facts were known to them they would no longer maintain their opinions or they would say, "This is something completely different from what was taught in the time of Abdul Baha." Here also the basic dynamics have grown static, still more of a retreat into a long overcome age. The "Iron Age", so-called by the Guardian," ³⁰¹ came under his brazen heel. This is seen in the following requirements for a "recognized Bahai":

1 "Recognized Bahais of the United Stales and Canada must not take part in any local, provincial or national election, conducted by political parties, where votes are to be cast for one or two or more candidates.

2 Recognized Bahais must not run for any public office as candidates of any political party, nor take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion of any party or party platform.

3 Recognized Bahais must not vote in any election based upon a party system.

4 Recognized Bahais must abstain from association with movements advocating social changes that presume partisan political action.

5 Recognized Bahais who speak on Bahai platforms must abstain from making any critical statements about any particular government or national policy.

6 Every Local Bahai Center must be responsible for the carrying out of the above laws by the Bahais in their respective communities. Local membership must include only the names of those who faithfully obey these regulations.

7 Recognized Bahais must not retain or apply for membership in any church or religious group. ³⁰²

8 Bahais failing to give unreserved obedience to the above regulations and to numerous others which are constantly legislated, and month after month spread on the pages of "Bahai News" by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United States and Canada, are expelled or excommunicated from the Cause, and the Bahais are not permitted to associate with these expelled or excommunicated ones, regardless of friendship, no matter of how long standing nor of the depth of their affection or love." ³⁰³

 

What intelligent men who believe they belonged to a progressive movement do is easy to guess.The dogma of the physical ascension of Mary or the condemnation of the Copernican teachings - which were later retracted -are harmless compared with the above mentioned rules of behavior because they cannot cause much damage. They indicate a spiritual attitude which can most honestly be classified with that of the Inquisition. And at the same time tolerance is a concept on which the Bahais put particular value. There is one statement from Sabet which I would like to introduce here almost literally; it was supposed to apply to religions in general, but I am going to use it in reference to the Guardian and his Administration."In the course of the last 50 years — not of the centuries — human inadequacy has increased so much that the Sun of Truth was darkened by the clouds of human inertia, greed for power, and intolerance and a critical observer, without being malicious himself, can come to the opinion that It has something to do with — in the alleged Bahai religion of the Guardian — the opiate of the people."

Even the most beautiful temples with gilded tiles and splendid gardens cannot submerge the fact that these things only serve as advertisement and tourist attracion for a system which is unique in the history of religions. Name-calling is unnecessary. Shoghism is exactly the opposite of the Bahai religion. Even if the Guardian has not been there for more than a dozen years, the "Hands of the Cause" and this alleged "Universal House of Justice" in Haifa work further, certain of their goal, to the reversal of the Bahai religion as Baha'u'llah would have it. Where in the whole enumerated catalogue of Shoghism is there a hint of "the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals", as it so seductively reads in the three page excerpt from Shoghi's writing in the introduction to the Proclamation of Baha'u'llah'" ³⁰⁴ Exactly the opposite is the case! And because, happily, men turn instinctively against the "Guardian concentration camp", the Bahai-Administrators lose their courage. "Mankind has been struck blind", one of their spokesmen recently established In the "Bahai-Briefe" (Bahai Letters).

With our presentation we hope, however - even with calculation for some mistakes and errors which always slip in - to have provided additional evidence to the various demonstrations of the falsification of the alleged testament of Abdul Baha, so that the followers of the Bahai Administration may recognize how they themselves have been struck blind.

PART TEN

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289.  Details about the trial see Sohrab, Broken Silence, 1942, pp. 196 and 258 with photocopies of the verdicts in great American newspapers
290. "BN" of December/January 1967, p. 6
291.  The Universal House ol Justice, Bahai World Center Haifa (Israel) August. 1964
292.  "BN", 1965, Vol. I, p. 7
293.  "BN". 1955, Vol. 7. p. 5
294.  quoted in "BN". Sept/Oct., 1957, Vol. 6/7, p. 8
295.  Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahai Administration, p. 8, quoted in "BN", 1965, Vol. 17
296.  see Esslemont, Neues Zeitalter, Frankfurt 1963, p. 307, footnote
297.  see Esslemont. New Era, 1970, p. 271f. "
298.  "BN" 1960, Vol. 17. p. 11
299.  Shoghl Elfendi, Promised Day, p. 16
300.  Bahai Nachrichten" 1964, Vol. 4
301.  GPB. pp. Xlll/324
302.  For the details of above regulations from Nos. 1 to 7 read "Bahai News", December 1932 and July 1933. Quoted by Sohrab, Silence, p. 155f.
303.  For item No. 8 read article entitled "The Determination of Membership" on page 3, January 1940 issue of   "Bahai News". Quoted by Sohrab, Silence, p. 156
304.  Haifa 1967, p. Xf. and Esslemont, New Era 1970, p. 280

A FRAUDULENT TESTAMENT Part-8

Chapter 9.

 

IX. THE DECLINE OF THE BAHAI RELIGION,  THE ANTITHESIS OF THE "DECLINE OF CHRISTIANITY"

The diminution of power is not a phenomenon of decline — The separation of church and state is likewise not a phenomenon of decline — The "Christians are blind", but the Bahais are stoneblind — The infallibility of the Pope matches that of tha Guardian — The Bahai religion is not a monolithic block — Modern factual knowledge is taught neither by the Bahais nor In the church - The Bahai teachings of the Administration are very different from the teachings of the founder of the Bahai religion -   The Christian churches in the USSR are permitted, the Bahai religion is prohibited — The difference in views in the Bahai camp is greater than that between the modern and traditional Protestant theologies — Medieval ways of asserting authority by the Bahai Administration — The fifth principle of Baha'u'llah, "Religion must be in accord with Science and Reason", is swept away by the Bahai Administration.

One of the really great advances of the new age is a mental advancement in the area of religion. In the Vatican Council decrees there is a statement which indicates the astonishing transformation of the Catholic church in a rapidly changing world: 

"The Church also views with high esteem the Moslems, who worship the one God... the Creator of Heaven and Earth, who has spoken to men." ²⁷² This truly cosmopolitan attitude, which communicates a clear denial of spiritual provincialism, is now returned substantially modified by a former Moslem, or member of a former Moslem family. In 1967 the Persian Hushmand Sabet who lives in Stuttgart published a book about the Bahai religion, Der gespaltene Himmel ("The Divided Heaven"). In order to make it palatable to the Christian West the largest subjection of the first chapter is called "The Decline of Christianity". We do not think that Sabet knew the harsh words of Machiavelli, that "A new religion's first concern is to exterminate its forerunner in order to obtain validity for itself " . . . or he would have certainly chosen other wording. The teaching of Christ will still hold as long as the world exists, as will the religious roots of the teaching of Mohammed or Baha'u'llah. The Bahai religion, hardly 100 years old, supplies a classic example of how all these teachings are hurt by careless handling in the area of the human sphere. On the basis of the same examples and quotations with whitih Sabet points out the "Decline of Christianity", we will present the decline -that is, revaluation of the Bahai teachings.

Remarkably, the first symptom of the "Decline of Christianity" for Sabet is that the Pope was robbed of his wordly power. When then did the Pope receive this wordly power? Was it not by the "Constantinian Grant", that mammoth falsification of the eighth century, which was tacitly acknowledged 1000 years later as such by the Catholic church? Sabet says nothing about a modern parallel of that famous falsification being enacted 78 years after the beginning of the Bahai revelation that this is done by the very religion which wants to offer itself as an alternative to the Christian one, the Bahai religion. What were the reasons back then? Desire for might and money by the ruling class or an individual. And in the present? Desire for might and money by an individual or a small group, who with the help of a false testament and the favorite maxim of all swindlers, "The world wants to be deceived", takes advantage of the falsification in order to lead a life in grand style.If Sabet had published his Divided Heaven a little later, he would have been able to recognize, with one glance at the Proclamation of Baha'u'ilah (1967) of the Bahai World Center, that Baha'u'llah himself had advised Pope Plus IX to relinquish his power. Former canon Townshend had presented Baha'u'llah's demands, however, very clearly in his Christ and Baha'u'llah 1971 on page 82:"... sell all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess and expend them in the path of God ... Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and emerge from thy habitation..." Townshend continues: "... the following year... (the Pope) was by force deprived of the temporal rule which he had refused to surrender voluntarlly..."

The following statement of Baha'u'llah, directed to Napoleon, could also be put in the album of the whole Bahai Administration, whose demand for power has become an open secret by this presentation of Sabet:

"Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in the estimation of the people of Baha, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant?" ²⁷³

The separation of church and state which was carried out in various countries — as a further proof for the phenomena of decline — is welcomed by Sabet a couple of pages later, because it "was a great advancement in European spiritual life" ²⁷⁴ There we are of the same opinion! But what was the opinion of the first man of the Bahai Administration after the Guardian, Horace Holley? 

"Religion giving a law to the nation"! ²⁷⁵ The clever secretary in fact maintains "this ist the most revolutionary conception which can enter the mind of man". Yet he appears to have overlooked that there has already been such an age, and today it is called the "darkest Middle Ages".

Sabet can not avoid exposing the blind, uncritical belief of the church-loyal Christians, because he quotes a Catholic theologian. Does he want to say perhaps with this that the Bahais for whom he speaks are less blind and more critical? Unfortunately that is not true! Criticism was not necessary as long as Abdul Baha, the Master, lived. However when after his death a Testament allegedly coming from him appeared, it shows that the great majority of Bahais were exactly as uncritical and just as blind, and still are today. Yes In reality they see even less. Because it is praised as a "religion without dogmas", and the Bahais do not notice that they have at least three dogmas. First, there is the alleged Will and Testament of Abdul Baha (which Is cemented in three times in their by-laws), to which one must "subordinate" himself, and in addition as a second dogma, the Bahai Administration. Without "unreserved acceptance" of these two points, there is no right to vote as a Bahai." ²⁷⁶

Sabet continues the scale of "phenomena of decline" with the dogma proclaimed in 1870 of the infallibility of the Pope, the passage of which is attributed to the determining influence of a radical group within the church. The same dogma has been taken on in the Bahai religion without being designated as such: "The Guardian of the Cause of God (the late Shoghi [Effendi] Rabbani 1957) . . . who stands under the infallible protection of Baha'ullah."²⁷⁷ This means to say that Shoghi is infallible! In more quotations about this third dogma of the Bahais, the Guardian himself speaks of "the Administration of Baha'u'llah's invincible Faith . , . this infallible Organ for the accomplishment of a Divine Purpose". ²⁷⁸ The wife of the Guardian Ruhiyyih Khanum, who still plays a great role in the Bahai Administration today, defines the infallibility of the Guardian still more exactly: "Therefore we might believe that he (the Guardian) will never err in the fulfillment of his functions and responsibilities in reference to the belief and can never err. Divine leadership means this, namely to be endowed byGod with Infallibility..." ²⁷⁹

The only difference between these two dogmas of "infallibility" is that in the Catholic church this dogma is avoided and omitted as much as possible, while the Guardian's words represent the "ultima ratio" (the highest point), so that "the very teachings which Abdul Baha devoted his life to uphold and disseminate have fallen into an obscure background" ²⁸⁰

The division of the Christian church into smaller and smallest groups which was begun in the 19th century is also viewed by Sabet as a further phenomenon of decline. It is a self deception if Sabet wants to present the Bahai Religion as a monolithic block, as a counterpart to this fact. In the Bahai religion there are at least two groups: the organized main establishment, which follows the Administration of the Guardian, and the free Bahais, whose model is Abdul Baha. There are free Bahais everywhere where there were Bahais in Abdul Baha's time. Especially there must be many of these followers of the Master in Persia, the land of the Bahai religion's birth. As an indirect proof for this, I would like to bring up the various precautionary measures, which are supposed to, or must, be observed since the second letter of the Guardian in March 1922 concerning the "Orientals". At the end of our presentation a few samples will prove how difficult it is today to travel to Persia, even if one possesses a full checkbook.Yet the main stem of the Bahais also has great worries. There was the American Mason Remey, appointed by Shoghi President of the International Bahai Council in Haifa. Because around 1960 he was afraid of soon losing his nice post, he wanted to be instituted as Guardian number 2 and therefore had to be excommunicated, with his group of supporters. The head group of the "Hands of the Cause" in Haifa under the leadership of the Guardian's wife also came heavily under pressure in the election of the Universal House of Justice In Haifa, when not she herself or her group but a completely different people were elected.Not one more German in Germany declared his willingness to take over the chairmanship of the National Spiritual Assembly. One had to refer to Persians, who compose only 25-30 per cent of the approximately 1500 Bahais in Germany. When Mohammedan students in Giessen near Frankfurt spoke against the Bahais in a flier, an answer was immediately sent. When Professor Rosen-kranz (Tuebingen, 1958) spoke, among other things, of a schism in the Bahai religion in an article in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine", the well-known German newspaper a position against this was taken a good year later. Similarly, accusations of the Protestant church in one of its periodicals were answered. Our "open letter" to H. Sabet of May and October, 1969 and its sequel in January, 1970 were completely ignored, in spite of or exactly because these attacks were much more dangerous. The truth however is not held back by these tricks, to be sure.

The disputes in the Christian church between the modern points of view and the traditional leavings run parallel to the division between the Administration Bahais and the free Bahais, so that the statement quoted by Sabet from tha theologian Conzelmann in the appropriate modification looks like this:" The Bahai religion of the Administration actually exists because the results of the scientific research on the alleged testament of Abdul Baha are not public." So too among the Bahais "everything totters", they just don't notice it. If there is a battle about demythologizing, it is with the Bahais, not only of the alleged Guardian and his privileges, but above all the Bahai Administration, which derives its authority from the Will and Testament of Abdul Baha. This Bahai Administration, however, forms the "framework for the Bahai-Commonwealth", the future "Bahai World State". What this goal is supposed to have to do with religion is hard to explain. A Baha'u'llah and an Abdul Baha would drive the messengers of such teachings — allegedly their own teachings - out of the temple, as is reported of Christ and the money changers. In addition, Abdul Baha says:

"Should they place in the arena the crown of the government of the whole world, and invite each one of us to accept it, undoubtedly we shall not condescend, and shall refuse to accept it" ²⁸¹

The following quotation in Sabet from theologian Ernst Barnikol can be transferred in the same form to the Bahai religion because that which is proclaimed about this religion by the Bahai Administration is hardly still identical with that which Baha'u'llah and Abdul Baha proclaimed. In addition there is the judgement of the editors of Bahai books, who also once belonged to the Bahai organization: "The Will is ranked as more important than the actual Teachings."²⁸³

And Mrs. White defends the view: "Although only a little over seven years have elapsed since the passing of Abdul Baha, in these seven years the Bahai Religion has been diverted from its original intent and strangled more completely by organization than Christianity was diverted and strangled in the first three hundred years of its inception. In fact the policies of the Bahai organization are the inversion of the Bahai Religion." ²⁸⁴

The name "Shoghism" in the title of this treatise is no exaggeration. Thus it can happen that the name of the Guardian is found in an issue of the "Bahai Nachrichten" (News) a dozen times; the names of Baha'u'llah and of Abdul Baha only, however, a few times.

In the continuation of "phenomena of decline" Sabet now takes up the church of Eastern Christianity. There especially, much was destroyed at the beginning of the communist take-over: however, today there is still a Greek-Orthodox Church in Russia, together with other Christian faiths. The Bahai religion was prohibited. The first Bahai Temple in Ishkabad was torn down, supposedly because it was damaged by an earthquake, and the site was levelled. The Bahai religion remains prohibited, which is easy to understand after hearing the alleged goals quoted earlier. This would be a plus for the Christian religion and a strong vole of non-confidence for what is today allegedly called the Bahai religion. The Soviets had the impression all too well that there was more real religion with the Christian church, than with the Bahais with their "Administration".

Sabet establishes that there are at least two fully opposing viewpoints in the Protestant church, especially in connection with the demythologizing. Exactly the same thing can be said about the Bahais. In a letter from 1955 a former member of the National Spiritual Assembly concedes to Mrs. Luise Zimmer:

"You are completely right that between you and your friends in the Bahai Union and us, an unbridgeable gap exists..."

And if with these spiritual disputes the Christians "often enough doubt the right belief and Christianity of their adversaries.. .'"²⁸⁵, then this statement of Sabet is all the more aggravating, as he himself behaves exactly so. No answer was received to an "open letter" which was sent by the author to him and two other leading Stuttgart Bahais with these problems of the "decline of Christianity" and their application to the Bahai religion of the Administration. The non-defense of his views seems to be the best defense for Sabet. For a man who after studying engineering could still also study comparative religion (see book cover) this attitude would appear an evidence of incapacity. But probably the National Spiritual Assembly of Bahais recommended this attitude. Shoghi, the dead Guardian, did it similarly ... If peace comes again after the storm of the spiritual lightnings and the thunder of cool considerations in the atmosphere, then the sun of the Bahai Administration with its "victories" foredated in the present shines again on these gullible children of the twentieth century.

At the end of this interesting section about the "Decline of Christianity", Sabet takes up the authority of the church. Have not, however, some Protestant and Catholic clergymen, especially in the post-war years, drawn extraordinary sympathies by their personal efforts and thereby given a little sparkle again to this lost authority?

All these men certainly do not come close to the authority of the deceased Guardian! However, no single selfless deed is reported about him. He did it easier for himself. He simply calls on a testament supposedly originating from Abdul Baha, where it reads:

whoso denieth him (the Guardian) hath denied God; whoso disbelieveth in him hath disbelieved in God; whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth aside from him hath "in truth deviated, separated himself and turned aside from God. May the wrath the fierce indignation, the vengeance of God rest upon him!"

(Alleged Will and Testament of Abdul Baha, Wilmette 1971, p. 11)One can then understand having read in the (private) newsletter of the Bahais the ever returning refrain of the Frankfurt secretary for years and years: More native believers have to be won." No one wants to make better acquaintance with these medieval ways of thinking.

The sub-section following the "Decline of Christianity" is titled "Christianity and Science*', The endeavors of modern Protestant theology are followed with much sympathy by all Bahais. But what is the situation concerning the problem of "Bahai Religion and Science"? There much is in a bad statel The fifth principle of the twelve basic rules of the Bahai religion says, "Religion must be in accord with science and reason". Yet this statement applies only in Bahai theory !   In reality, the Bahais let voices of emotion overcome the voices of reason. This former Stuttgart Bahai writes In the above mentioned letter to Mrs. Luise Zimmer:

"And when Shoghi showed this Testament (the alleged 'will and testament of Abdul Baha' to a Stuttgart friend who visited him in Haifa in the twenties, and said with tears in his eyes 'I have done nothing to this Testament', I believe him more than 100 graphologists and sophists put together."

Not much can be clone against such a method of proof. Eleven years earlier the alleged testament was also spoken of in the "Sonne der Wahrheit". A Stuttgart Bahai, who had rendered great service to the Cause by her work, made her second visit to Shoghi Effendi in Haifa, and wrote "And then came a gripping moment Shoghi Effendi showed us Baha'u'llah's Testament and that of Abdul Baha. . . He handed Abdul Baha's testament first to me, then to the friends. Involuntarily I stood with this invaluable treasure in my hands!" ²⁸⁶

A lady of the best Stuttgart society of the "powerful prewar Germany" gives reverence to this forgery of the sly Levantine? What a feeling of satisfaction and compensation must have come over the Guardian-forger then! The great disappointment about his having to leave the college in Beirut without a degree was now more than compensated!

How elegantly Shoghi sneaked away from the positive proof of the validity of the long doubted alleged testament of Abdul Baha, the following sentence shows:

"I will not attempt in the least to assert or demonstrate the authenticity of the Will and Testament of Abdul Baha, for that in itself would betray an apprehension on my part as fo the unanimous confidence of the believers in the genuineness of the last written wishes of our departed master," ²⁸⁷

One must hand it to the Guardian: he played with words masterfully and understood how to envelop his followers in his statements. The protesting of the Bahais still reverberates today In the just quoted book, which Horace Holley the secretary of the American Bahais and Shoghl's spiritual descendant wrote nine years later: "No longer do the Bahais require Abdul Baha's written Testament to prove the existence of the Guardianship. . ." ²⁸⁸

PART NINE

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272.  cited by U. Schaefer, Die Missverstandene Religion, 1968, p. 52
273.  BWF, p. 50
274.  Sabet loc. cit, p. 23
275.  WOB. p. VI
276.   Esslemont, New Era, 1970, p. 271 and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, Wllmette 1969, Art. II, p. 9
277.  Sabet, p. 33, footnote
278.  Shoghi Effendi, WOB, p. 89
279.  from Ruhiyyih Khanum, "Lehrprobleme". quoted in "Bahai-Lehrbrief" 3/109, p.3
280.  Sohrab. Will, Introduction, p. 7
281.  BWF, p. 425
283.  Sohrab, Will, p. 10
284.  White, Bahai Religion, p. 2
285.  Sabet, p. 18
286.  "SdW" 1936, p. 152
287.  Shoghi Effendi, WOB, p. 4
288.  Shoghi Effendi, WOB, Introduction by Horace Holley  p. VI