Charles Mason Remey
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A Historical Coalition Between the Hands of the Cause and the Covenant-Breakers
A Historical Coalition between the Hands of the Cause and the Covenant-Breakers Dear Friends, Baha’u’llah made it incumbent upon every believing Baha’i to prepare a will and testament (the most Holy Book, para 255) during his life time. And he followed his own command when he wrote a will and appointed an heir, so that his family and followers would not face any such difficulties after him. In the same way, Abdul-Baha considered it necessary to write a will during one’s life, having also written his own valuable Will and Testament, which includes his important edicts and recommendations. According to the most Holy Book, if a Baha’i dies and does not leave a will, all of his or her belongings and properties should be divided among the following seven groups: spouse, children, father, mother, brother(s), sister(s) and teacher. And according to the Kitab-i Aqdas, if any member of the above categories were deceased, his or her share will be inherited by the UHJ. Finally, according to that same Holy Book, all non-Baha’is, non-believers, Covenant-breakers, and those excommunicated from the Faith, are deprived from a Baha’i's estate. 1 Now, I would like to draw your attention to a very important event in the history of the Baha’i community. As you are well aware, the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, passed away in London in the summer of 1957. He journeyed to London in order to purchase necessary material to complete the archives buildings. There, he died having suffered from a previously-undiagnosed disease. -
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE of JUSTICE 18 February 2008
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE 18 February 2008 Transmitted by email The Friends in Iran Dear Bahá’í Friends, We have received a letter from a believer in Iran with questions about the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. We appreciate that firmness in the Covenant is among the distinctive characteristics of the believers in that land, who are informed of the principles and essential facts pertaining to the succession of authority in the Cause. Nevertheless, none among them should hesitate to seek clarification of matters about which they have questions, for the enemies of the Faith are tireless in their attempts to sow seeds of confusion and doubt. Moreover, it is beneficial, in view of the beloved Master’s exhortations to us all to be ever- vigilant concerning matters of protection, for the friends to review the relevant essentials from time to time. We have therefore decided to provide you with the following comments. In this connection, you are also encouraged to reacquaint yourselves with the document “Mason Remey and Those Who Followed Him”, a statement prepared at our instruction by an ad hoc committee. A translation of the statement is enclosed. Questions concerning the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice can be resolved through careful study of the writings of Bahá’ulBahá'u'lláh, láh, ‘Abdul‘Abdu’l-Bahá -Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and the elucidations of the House of Justice, which, ‘Abdul‘Abdu’l-Bahá -Bahá states, will “deliberate upon all problems which have caused difference, questions that are obscure and matters that are not expressly recorded in the Book. -
The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi
The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Baha • He delineated the • `Abdu’l-Bahá revealed a authority of “twin Will and Testament in successor” institutions three parts, 1902 to 1910, • He further defined where He designated responsibilities of the Shoghi Effendi as His Hands of the Cause successor and elaborated on the election of the • `Abdu’l-Bahá almost Universal House of Justice never mentioned to anyone that Shoghi • We’ll look at some Effendi would succeed passages later Him; it was a well kept secret Shoghi Effendi Rabbani • Born March 1, 1897; eldest of 13 grandchildren of `Abdu’l-Bahá • Mother was `Abdu’l-Bahá’s oldest daughter (of 4) • `Abdu’l-Bahá insisted everyone address him with the term Effendi (Turkish for sir) • Education in home school in Akka (in the House of Abbud) first by a Persian man, then by an Italian governess Education • Then went to the College • He was devastated and des Freres in Haifa, a lost weight Jesuit private school • He very strongly disliked • Then went to a Jesuit the French high school, boarding school in Beirut though he learned fluent • Invited to go to America French there with `Abdu’l-Bahá, but he • Started his senior year at was turned back in Syrian Protestant College Naples on the claim his Preparatory School, Oct. eyes were diseased with 1912, when 15 years old trachoma • Graduated in early summer 1913 (age 16) Higher Education • Summer 1913: In Egypt • Bachelor of Arts degree with `Abdu’l-Bahá when he was 20 (the • Syrian Protestant graduating class had college, 1913-17 10!) • The college did relief • Graduate student at work and provided free SPC, fall 1917-summer medical care to Turkish 1918 soldiers, so it was • Sept. -
Alain Locke Faith and Philosophy
STUDIES IN THE BÁBÍ AND Bahá’í Religions Volume Eighteen Alain Locke Faith and Philosophy Studies in the Bábí and Bahá’í Religions (formerly Studies in Bábí and Bahá’í History) ANTHONY A. LEE, General Editor Studies in Bábí and Bahá’í History, Volume One, edited by Moojan Momen (1982). From Iran East and West, Volume Two, edited by Juan R. Cole and Moojan Momen (1984). In Iran, Volume Three, edited by Peter Smith (1986). Music, Devotions and Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Volume Four, by R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram (1987). Studies in Honor of the Late H. M. Balyuzi, Volume Five, edited by Moojan Momen (1989). Community Histories, Volume Six, edited by Richard Hollinger (1992). Symbol and Secret: Qur’an Commentary in Bahá’u’lláh’s Kitáb-i Íqán, Volume Seven, by Christopher Buck (1995). Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Bahá’í Theology, Volume Eight, edited by Jack McLean (1997). Modernity and the Millennium: The Genesis of the Baha’i Faith in the Nineteenth-Century Middle East, distributed as Volume Nine, by Juan R. I. Cole, Columbia University Press (1999). Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá’í Faith, distributed as Volume Ten, by Christopher Buck, State University of New York Press (1999). Religion in Iran: From Zoroaster to Bahau’llah, distributed as Volume Eleven, by Alessandro Bausani, Bibliotheca Persica Press (2000). Evolution and Bahá’í Belief: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Response to Nineteenth-Century Darwinism, Volume Twelve, edited by Keven Brown (2001). Reason and Revelation, Volume Thirteen, edited by Seena Fazel and John Danesh (2002). -
Religious and Social Life of Religious Minorities
RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIFE OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES A CASE STUDY OF BAHÁ’Í AND PARSI COMMUNITIES OF PAKISTAN Abdul Fareed 101-FU/PhD/F08 DEPARTMENT OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION FACULTY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LIFE OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES A CASE STUDY OF BAHÁ’Í AND PARSI COMMUNITIES OF PAKISTAN A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Comparative Religion By Abdul Fareed Registration no. 101-FU/PhD/F08 Under the Supervision of Dr. Muhammad Imtiaz Zafar DEPARTMENT OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION FACULTY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES, INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD ١ذو القعدة ١٤١٦ من الهجرة /Submitted on: August17, 2015 C.E Statement of Undertaking I Abdul Fareed Reg. No. 101/FU/PHD/F-08 and student of Ph.D. Comparative Religion, Faculty of Islamic Studies, International Islamic University Islamabad do hereby solemnly declare that the thesis entitled ‘ Religious and Social Life of the Religious Minorities: A case Study of Bahá’í and Parsi Communities of Pakistan’ submitted by me in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. is my original work, except where otherwise acknowledge in the text, and has not been submitted or published earlier and so not in future, be submitted by me for any degree this University or institution. Abdul Fareed APPROVAL It is certified that Mr. Abdul Fareed s/o Abdul Raheem Reg.No.101-FU/PhD/F08 has successfully defended his thesis titled: Religious and Social Life of the Religious Minorities: A case Study of Bahá’í and Parsi Communities of Pakistan in viva-voce examination held in the Department of Comparative Religion, Faculty of Islamic Studies( Usuluddin) , International Islamic University, Islamabad. -
The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh Unit 2 the Guardian of the Faith
The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh Unit 2 The Guardian of the Faith PRE - PUBLICATION EDITION MATERIAL IN DEVELOPMENT VERSION 1.1.1.PP 22 June 2012 Ruhi Institute Copyright © 2009 by the Ruhi Foundation, Colombia All rights reserved. Version 1.1.1.PP June 2012 Ruhi Institute Apartado Postal: 402032 Cali, Colombia Tel: 57 2 828-2599 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.ruhi.org Transcribed into eBook & PDF by Ramin Marghi Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 4 SECTION 1.................................................................................................................................................. 6 SECTION 2.................................................................................................................................................. 7 SECTION 3.................................................................................................................................................. 8 SECTION 4................................................................................................................................................ 10 SECTION 5................................................................................................................................................ 12 SECTION 6................................................................................................................................................ 15 SECTION 7............................................................................................................................................... -
MASON REMEY and THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM Revised January 2008
MASON REMEY AND THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIM Revised January 2008 INTRODUCTION In addition to explaining the nature and dangers of violation of the Covenant, Shoghi Effendi several times reviewed briefly the fates of individuals and groups who had surrendered to this worst of human failings. To reflect on the consequences experienced by those who seek to undermine the unity of the Cause, he said, helps believers to appreciate more deeply the protecting power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant. In the perspective of more than four decades that have passed since Charles Mason Remey’s violation of the Covenant, it is instructive to review the consequences to those who followed him down this barren path. I COVENANT-BREAKING The Nature of Covenant-breaking What is Covenant-breaking? In a letter to an individual dated 23 March 1975, the Universal House of Justice wrote: When a person declares his acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh as a Manifestation of God he becomes a party to the Covenant and accepts the totality of His Revelation. If he then turns round and attacks Bahá’u’lláh or the Central Institution of the Faith he violates the Covenant. If this happens every effort is made to help that person to see the illogicality and error of his actions, but if he persists he must, in accordance with the instructions of Bahá’u’lláh Himself, be shunned as a Covenant-breaker.1 The personal failings that lead people to violate the Covenant to which they know they have committed themselves have been described by the Guardian as “the blind hatred, the unbounded presumption, the incredible folly, the abject perfidy, the vaulting ambition”2 which, in varying degrees, afflict the persons concerned. -
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár
Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Arabic: "Dawning Place of the Praise of God") Term used primarily to refer to a Bahá’í House of Worship, also known as a Temple, and its surrounding dependencies. ARTICLE OUTLINE: THE INSTITUTION OF THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKÁR The Institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár Concept Purpose Concept Form The term Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is used in the writings Symbolism of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi to Houses of Worship around the World refer to a gathering of Bahá’ís worshiping and Ashgabat (Ashkhabad, ‘Ishqábád) praising God through use of sacred scripture, Chicago especially at dawn; to a building dedicated to such Kampala worship; to the complex of buildings surrounding a Sydney Frankfurt am Main central House of Worship that Bahá’u’lláh ordained Panama City to be at the heart of every Bahá’í community and Apia that is to include educational and humanitarian New Delhi service institutions open to people of all religions; Santiago and to the central House of Worship, or Temple, Future Plans itself. Only Bahá’ís may contribute funds to the ARTICLE RESOURCES: building and operation of a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. As is generally the case with Bahá’í institutions, the Notes development of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as an Other Sources and Related Reading institution is both gradual and evolutionary. In His book of laws, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book), Bahá’u’lláh describes the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as a building erected in a city or village for the worship of God.1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whose ministry spanned the period 1892–1921, encouraged the Bahá’ís to establish Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs in every "hamlet and city";2 if this were not possible due to severe persecution, He advised, the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár could even be "underground."3 Many Bahá’í communities in Iran and in the Transcaspian Territory in Russia designated ordinary houses in their localities as Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs (See: ‘Alavíyyih Khánum, and ‘Alí Ján, Mullá). -
IN the LIGHT of the RISING SUN Memoirs of a Bahá’Í Pioneer to Japan
An expanded, annotated version of IN THE LIGHT OF THE RISING SUN Memoirs of a Bahá’í Pioneer to Japan by Barbara R. Sims E-book In the Light of the Rising Sun: Memoirs of a Baháʼí Pioneer to Japan reviewed and approved by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Japan (Approved July 2020) © 2019 Sheridan A. Sims All rights reserved Barbara R. Sims, Tokyo Baháʼí Center, 1961 cover of the original book Contents (page numbers are PDF) Foreword 5 Preface 7 Mary Elizabeth Steuben Burland 8 Father’s side 14 Bahá’í life Stateside 16 Following the sun 23 Early years of the Bahá’í Faith in Japan 26 Arrival and impressions 29 Tokyo L.S.A. 45 Nikko Conference 55 North East Asia 58 The International Convention and the 1960s 64 1970s, ’80s and ’90s 70 “If you want to preserve something, publish it” 77 (Re)search 82 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prayer for the Japanese 85 Ichi Kamichika 95 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s tablets to Japan 87 Takeo Hasegawa 95 Kenzo Torikai 88 The Rev. Nobuichiro Imaoka 96 Saichiro Fujita’s relatives 91 Daisetz and Beatrice Suzuki 97 Kanichi Yamamoto’s relatives 92 Hong Kong and Macau 98 Kikutaro Fukuta’s sons 93 The Archives 101 Vasily Eroshenko 94 Some extraordinary Bahá’ís who visited Japan 102 ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum 104 Collis Featherstone 135 Tarazullah Samandari 119 Other Hands of the Cause 136 Agnes Alexander 121 Univ. House of Justice members 137 Rahmatullah Muhajir 125 Yankee Leong 140 Enoch Olinga 132 The Katirais, Moghbels, and Momtazis 142 Abul-Qasim Faizi 133 Final chapter 142 Photographs 146 Appendix: 1968 International Convention photos 164 Notes 184 Foreword This PDF document is an expanded and annotated version of In the Light of the Rising Sun, a memoir by long-time Baháʼí pioneer to Japan, Barbara R. -
Joel Bray Marangella
JOEL BRAY MARANGELLA Third Guardian of the Bahá’í World Faith On 21 September 1964, Charles Mason Remey, the Second Guardian of the Bahá’í World Faith, announced the creation of the second International Bahá’í Council and appointed Joel Bray Marangella its President. The significance of this appointment was certainly realized by the Bahá’ís under the guardianship as Shoghi Effendi had used this same instrumentality in making his appointment of his successor by naming Mason Remey President of the first International Bahá’í Council (the embryonic UniVersal House of Justice). Early History ‐ Joel Bray Marangella was born on 22 September 1918 in Lynn, Massachusetts, in the United States of America. His father, Phillip Amalfi Marangella, came from a large Italian family who had immigrated to the United States when he was a boy of about four years of age. As a young man he became dissatisfied with the religious faith of his parents and undertook an extensive search for the Truth. One day he happened upon a book in the New York City public library written against the Bahá’í Faith. This caused him to become interested in finding out the truth about the Faith. His subsequent investigations led to his acceptance of the Faith while Joel was still a baby. Joel’s mother, born Edith Brooks Guthrie, came from a completely different background, being a Virginian by birth and raised in the Protestant faith. Even before she met Phillip Marangella she, too, had begun to search elsewhere for a faith that would satisfy her needs and her investigation of the Baha’I Faith led to her becoming a Bahá’í with him. -
The Universal House of Justice 9 March 1965 the National Spiritual
The Universal House of Justice 9 March 1965 The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Netherlands Dear Bahá’í Friends, We are glad that you have brought to our attention the questions perplexing some of the believers. It is much better for these questions to be put freely and openly than to have them, unexpressed, burdening the hearts of devoted believers. Once one grasps certain basic principles of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh such uncertainties are easily dispelled. This is not to say that the Cause of God contains no mysteries. Mysteries there are indeed, but they are not of a kind to shake one’s faith once the essential tenets of the Cause and the indisputable facts of any situation are clearly understood. The questions put by the various believers fall into three groups. The first group centers upon the following queries: Why were steps taken to elect a Universal House of Justice with the foreknowledge that there would be no Guardian? Was the time ripe for such an action? Could not the International Bahá’í Council have carried on the work? At the time of our beloved Shoghi Effendi’s death it was evident, from the circumstances and from the explicit requirements of the Holy Texts, that it had been impossible for him to appoint a successor in accordance with the provisions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá. This situation, in which the Guardian died without being able to appoint a successor, presented an obscure question not covered by the explicit Holy Text, and had to be referred to the Universal House of Justice. -
Baha'i News No
U. S. SUPPLEMENT Baha'i News No. 33 BAHA'I YEAR 117 NOVEMBER 1960 NSA Gives Facts on Present-Day Covenant-Breaking Dear Friends : no successor, that the body of the Hands had elected During the past several weeks, those who are active- nine of their number (in accordance with the Will and ly supporting the Covenant-breaker Charles Mason Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha-"the Hands of the Cause Remey, have deliberately sought to destroy the Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons of Bahi'u'llah by attacking the institutions of His di- that shall at all times be occupied in the important vinely revealed administrative order. Using the tactics services in the work of the Guardian of the Cause of of the center of sedition, MirzQ M*ammad-'Ali, that God") to act in their behalf as the Custodians of the prime mover of mischief who endeavored to hurt Baha'i World Faith. The second was a letter dated 'Abdu'l-Baha by falsifying the Holy Text with his own December 2, 1957 and signed by the nine elected as interpolations, these present-day mischief makers Custodians, one of whom was Mason Remey, request- cloaking their true intentions by quoting page after ing on advice of the Guardian's lawyer that our Na- page of the Baha'i Writings have slandered the Hands tional Spiritual Assembly send a letter which would of the Cause of God, individually and collectively, and recognize the nine "as the supreme body in the Cause" are disobeying the admonitions of Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l- and stating "we pledge our full support, faith and al- Baha and Shoghi Effendi.