The Baha'i Bible - or not?

There appears to be some confusion in the minds of many observers regarding the Bahá’í Bible. I use the term 'Bible" as a point of reference, but not an entirely inaccurate one. The term 'bible' means, literally: a collection of books. The Jewish Bible is exactly that: a collection of books written by various authors over hundreds of years. Christians added to that collection books and letters of their own written by several authors over a shorter period of time.
There was a great deal of argument among Christians for several centuries about which books and letters should be added to the Jewish Bible. The argument continues today in that Catholic Christians accept additional books that other Christians don't.
Hindus and Buddhists also have sacred scriptures that were written by various authors over hundreds of years, so many that binding them into one set of covers is impractical, so no one really things of a Hindu or Buddhist Bible.
For Muslims the situation is entirely different. Their holy book, The Recitation, or in Arabic; Qu'ran, is the result of one man who dictated the contents in sections during His lifetime. It is regarded as being directly revealed by the angel Gabriel from God with Muhammad merely a vehicle for the words to take form. These revelations were gathered together after His death and arranged by length and the Muslim 'bible' is the result.
Bahá’í scripture came about through a process similar to all of the above, except for the question of authenticity. There are three authors of Bahá’í scripture all speaking as the Voice of God. In addition there are two authors of auxiliray texts which serve to illuminate, explain and implement the teachings of the others. If this sounds confusion, remember that the 'book' of Isaiah in the Jewish Bible was written by at least four authors and the Books of Moses were not written by Moses (it is difficult for a person to write about their own death and events afterwards). The authors of the Bahá’í scripture are simply unfamiliar at this time (it is easy to forget that Christ was an unknown name to most Romans).
The primary author of Bahá’í scripture is Bahá’u’lláh, a title meaning: The Glory of God, who was a vehicle of revelation. He lived 1817-1892 first in His native Persia, then in the Ottoman Empire where He was exiled. His writings include books and letters, mostly letters, some very short, some hundreds of pages long. The Bahá’í World Center, in Haifa, Israel, has the responsibility of collecting these letters and translating and publishing them. To date some 7,000 have been collected. That is one section of the Bahá’í 'bible.'
Secondary to the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh are those of His forerunner, a merchant from Shiraz, Persia who is known as the Báb (the Gate). He instituted a religion of His own but emphasized that His followers were to turn to the next Messenger of God for whom He was the Gate. And that the next Messenger was free to abrogate whatever of His scripture He saw fit. Bahá’u’lláh was in prison for being a follower of the Báb when He became aware of His own role as the next Messenger. Bahá’u’lláh did affirm some of the Báb's teachings such as the equality of women, the nineteen month calendar. So some of the Báb's writings, and certainly His prayers, are part of the Bahá’í 'bible.'
In His writings, Bahá’u’lláh apointed his son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Servant of the Glory) to head the faith after Him. It is a unique situation because never in the world's religious history has the founder of a religion legally appointed a successor. Bahá’u’lláh charged ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to speak on His own behalf, making the two one continuous authority. So, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the second author of the Bahá’í 'bible.'
‘Abdu’l-Bahá had been inprison since He was a young man (because entire families were exiled and imprisoned) and was only freed when political events changed the government of the Ottoman Empire. As in the case of His father, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote a few books but more letters. In addition, after He was freed, He traveled to Egypt, Europe and America, not to see the sights but to educate and encourage the Bahá’ís in those places. In so doing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to numerous audiences from the NAACP to Jewish sunagogues, churches and private homes. Stenographic notes were often taken and these talks also became part of the Bahá’í bible.
Not just any notes are Bahá’í scripture, Bahá’u’lláh was very clear about this and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá upheld it. They specificed that Their words, in whatever form, had to be verified and authenticated or they could not be considered scripture. Unauthenticated words of Theirs are NOT part of the Bahá’í bible. This has resulted in some confusion by those who do not know the difference. The authentication was to be done my Themselves or the head of the faith. This clearly defines the canon of Bahá’í scripture so there is no disagreement.
'Abdu'i-Baha did not pass on His authority, He created an institution to succeed Him and appointed His oldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, to fill the position. This is the institution of the Guardianship. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá specified the personal qualities of future Guardians, the appointment process and the election to validate the appointment. One of the responsibilities of the Guardian is to interpret and implement the scriptures revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Bahá’u’lláh had outlined the system of administration for the Bahá’í community. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had begun to implement some of it, Shoghi Effendi continued this process. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had encouraged Bahá’ís to for the local councils specified by Bahá’u’lláh. It fell to Shoghi Effendi to create the secondary and international councils. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had outlined teaching plans to take the Bahá’í message to the entire world, Shoghi Effendi further implemented these.
At his death, Shoghi Effendi had not appointed a successor Guardian, there was no one who fulfilled the qualifications set by 'Abdul-Baha. Bahá’u’lláh had hinted of this possibility. Shortly after Shoghi Effendi's death the Bahá’ís of the world elected the Universal House of Justice, that international council ordained by Bahá’u’lláh with certain responsibilities, among them to interpret and implement the Bahá’í scriptures. The Universal House of Justice could also legislate on subjects not covered in Bahá’í scripture and change those decisions when necessary so flexibility was insured.
In summary there are three authors of the Bahá’í bible: Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Báb and two institutions of interpretation: the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice. In addition, for worship and devotions Bahá’ís are free to use any earlier scriptures: the Qur'an, the Christian and Jewish Bible and other scriptures for Bahá’u’lláh clearly stated: "There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose."*
So far the Bahá’í scriptures (the Bahá’í 'Bible') collected and authenticated at the Bahá’í World Center consist of 7,160 pieces by Bahá’u’lláh, 15,549 by 'Abdu'-Baha plus some of the Báb for a total of 22, 709 primary documents. In addition are another 16,370 by Shoghi Effendi and a contuning stream from the Universal House of Justice (which can be more than one email a day) of secondary guidance. It is impossible to publish all of these in one paper book, but the World Center is in the process of posting them on the internet.
So that is the Bahá’í bible.
*Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 217.

Photo Banned - Newspaper Closed

It is odd that a travel advertisement can shut down a newspaper. This wouldn’t happen in Topeka and it didn’t happen here. But it did happen earlier this month in another capital (which, oddly, also starts with the letter ‘T’) in another land. That capital is Tehran.
The action did not surprise one Topeka resident who grew up in Tehran. Mahin Stanley left Tehran in the 1960s in pursuit of education and more opportunities than were possible for women in Iran at that time. Now the times are worse.
Before leaving Tehran, Mahin watched members of the Iranian military and clergy take pick axes to the dome of the national Baha’i Center just down the street from her home. At the time an art display was exhibited inside in which a drawing of hers was entered. Needless to say, she never saw her drawing again. The building was seized for a time, trashed, then returned to the Bahá’ís (but only after Bahá’ís in thousands of communities around the world objected. Bahá’ís in Topeka sent telegrams directly to the Shah of Iran and President Eisenhower asking for the persecution to be curtailed.).
For the last thirty years the situation has been worse. Not only was the national center seized again, as well as all other Bahá’Í owned property in the country (including cemeteries, homes and businesses of individuals) but hundreds of Bahá’ís have been murdered and more tortured. Today a couple dozen Bahá’ís are in prison, some for over a year, on such charges as “spreading corruption on earth,” “provoking in insanctaties” and supporting Zionism.
What on earth can they mean?
“Supporting Zionism” is easy to understand. The world center of the Bahá’í Faith is located in Haifa, just as the Vatican is located in Rome. That location in Haifa is the result of a decree of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1868. Bahá’ís today are being killed for it.
This is rational?
“Provoking insanctaties.” This term has no meaning to most people, but in Iran it is a capital crime. It means, as far as I can tell, that Bahá’ís do not revere Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as the last Messenger of God. No. Bahá’ís believe Bahá’u’lláh to be the most recent Messenger of God.
In American, and most of the world, that is one’s choice. In Iran it is a capital crime and hundreds have died (and for those who are already dead, the cemeteries are bulldozed).
“Spreading corruption on earth,” is similar but can only happen in Muslim countries such as Iran. In such countries, add Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the government does not marry people or perform other actions of that nature, they are conducted solely by the religions community. And in most of those countries existence of the Bahá’í Faith cannot be acknowledged (because there can be no Prophet after Muhammad and it is illegal to think differently). The result of this is that Bahá’í marriages are not recognized as valid so every Bahá’í husband and wife is in an adulterous relationship and all the children are illegitimate – and has been so since the nineteenth century!
And what does this have to do with a travel advertisement that shut down a newspaper? The ad was promoting travel to India. The ad featured the most visited building in India (the Taj Mahal is now second) that has won international acclaim. This building, in the shape of a lotus blossom surrounded by pools of water, happens to be the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi.
And the alarms sounded!!!
The Bahá’í Faith does NOT exist (despite it being the largest minority religion in Iran), therefore there can be no photo of a Bahá’í building in a newspaper in Iran!
The fact that it was the newspaper with the highest circulation in Iran is also very interesting – and the photo ad was on the front page!
No wonder the newspaper, Hamshahri, was shut down!
And life in a totalitarian state lurches on. In just the past ten years 120 newspapers and other news outlets have been shut down with editors and reporters jailed and murdered. Most closures have been permanent. This time, oddly, the closure was only for one day. Very curious.

Religion and Modern Times

At the opening of the twentieth century religion was a dominant force in society. During the century that role was invalidated by the inability of most religions to accommodate new fields of knowledge, especially scientific knowledge. As a result the beneficial moral role of religion in society was also dismissed. Into that vacuum stepped materialistic hedonism and a religious liberalism with no moral compass. Neither were able to generate the discipline and devotion necessary for providing a firm foundation and the self-sacrifice necessary for social progress.

With the failure of materialism to satisfy the deepest human needs, a renewed interest in religion has followed. But the religious traditions that could not adequately respond to the circumstances of the early twentieth century are far less able to respond to the even greater changes since then. A response to this condition has been a desire to go to the foundations of the religions hoping answers will be found there.

These supposed fundamentals of the religions are even less adequate to provide relevant answers and, in a desperate need for answers, fundamentalist fanaticism results. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim fundamentalists all have the same desperate need for order, sexism and conformity, and militant violence has resulted from them all.

All oppose the materialism which has spectacularly failed to meet the human need for moral guidance. Moral values were seen as an innate part of humanism if not human nature. The greatest failure of materialism was to not recognize that such values are the bare remnants of the former influence of the religions that materialism displaced. With the erosion of these moral values society has slipped further and further into a morass of pleasure seeking irregardless of the consequences to others.

This moral vacuum has been filled by the fanatical fundamentalists on one hand and those who have sought refuge in the multiplicity of sects and cults that have risen and flourished with amazing rapidity. Not a few of them proclaim self-indulgence as a form of self-discovery and spirituality. The wider society has put its faith in various programs of liberal social and economic development to alleviate the hardships of others through material prosperity. The resulting widening of the gap between the poverty-stricken and the affluent is adequate testimony to the ineffectiveness of this approach.

The inability of traditional faiths to address the challenges of modern times has not adequately been addressed. Several reasons contribute to their ineffectiveness. One would obviously be their time of origin. They began before the possibility of human rights ideals, globalization or modern science. Those situations, much less their implications, are not addressed in their scriptures. And their structures for interpretation and implementation are equally at a loss.
One prominent feature of the global nature of present society is the way in which diverse peoples from contending cultures are now brought into daily contact on the internet, in the work place, while shopping, in schools, in all aspects of daily life. In former centuries such peoples would never see each other and they would not interact. Now it is imperative that they learn to interact in a peaceful and productive way, but there is no guidance or basis for such interactions.

Every culture, for its own integrity, has had to consider itself as superior to every other. Each has its own “right way” to view the world and social interactions. In many cases these “right ways” are incompatible and there is no bridge between them.

In the face of these incompatible points of view, most are blinded to what they share in common. Those who see the common elements are often derided or pushed aside. And modern science has complicated the situation by raising moral questions unique to our times: what is environmental utilization or exploitation, is stem cell research a reasonable endeavor, and many more.

Attempts to answer these questions from the scriptures of traditional faiths have failed. At the most they have resulted in conflicting answers from the same traditions which are no solution at all.

These faiths are hindered in their attempts to adequately address and solve contemporary problems by their claims of superiority and exclusivity. Instead of searching for common agreements, each is motivated to insist, in increasingly stronger and more strident tones, that their perspective is the “only right way,” and dialogue is pointless. Their claims of authority often reach well past their Founders teachings. This is further complicated by insistence on concepts that were added to the original teachings through corruption of power held by religious authorities, human imagination or misunderstandings.

It might surprise many people to examine some of the common teachings of the religions followed by most of the people of the planet. These include that there is one God; this can be included for Hindus, where the lesser “gods” are really attributes of God, and for Buddhists who have “the First Cause.” What other term could be applied to the Creator of all that is? Another is that each human soul has the capacity to pray to God, and the role of the Prophet-Founder of the religion to facilitate that conversation. And there is the promise of a return of the Messenger.

Such primary commonalities strongly suggest that there is a common foundation or source for those teachings; such is a basic teaching of the Bahá’í Faith. Bahá’u’lláh states that all revealed religions are part of a continuous process, initiated by the Creator, to gradually and progressively reveal guidance to the human race for our continued development. More fundamentally, all religions are essentially chapters of the same religion.

These chapters have come at different times and places for the benefit of all mankind. Gradually over the centuries, interpretations and other ideas have been added. Additional confusion can arise due to the emphasis necessary by the Founder to eliminate certain pernicious evils of the society in which they appeared (Muhammad and idolatry, for instance).

The greatest crisis now facing society is that of unity. Disunity has paralyzed or crippled most social endeavors. On a global scale it can be catastrophic. Humanity now has the ability to destroy all life on the planet and no effective restraints, especially by disgruntled terrorists. Only a global, unifying moral consciousness and force can effectively deter such a result.

The Bahá’í community offers itself as a model for that solution. In the Bahá’í community no person has authority over another, the diversity of the human race is celebrated, decisions are made by councils in consultation and each person has equal access to the Divine. The Bahá’í community has been described as the most diverse, yet united, group of people on the planet. It is a remarkable achievement.

As the time of Thanksgiving approaches we can appraise those things which we are thankful for. Baha’is strive to be thankful every day for the bounties of God in our lives, but Thanksgiving is a time when all of society is more conscious of it. When Abdu’l-Baha, son of Baha’u’llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith visited the U.S. in 1912, He shared these thoughts about giving thanks.

“Thankfulness is of various kinds. There is a verbal thanksgiving which is confined to a mere utterance of gratitude. This is of no importance because perchance the tongue may give thanks while the heart is unaware of it. Many who offer thanks to God are of this type, their spirits and hearts unconscious of thanksgiving. This is mere usage, just as when we meet, receive a gift and say thank you, speaking the words without significance. One may say thank you a thousand times while the heart remains thankless, ungrateful. Therefore, mere verbal thanksgiving is without effect. But real thankfulness is a cordial giving of thanks from the heart. When man in response to the favors of God manifests susceptibilities of conscience, the heart is happy, the spirit is exhilarated. These spiritual susceptibilities are ideal thanksgiving.

There is a cordial thanksgiving, too, which expresses itself in the deeds and actions of man when his heart is filled with gratitude. For example, God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance, and in thankfulness for this great gift certain deeds must emanate from him. To express his gratitude for the favors of God man must show forth praiseworthy actions. In response to these bestowals he must render good deeds, be self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, forfeiting even life for them, showing kindness to all the creatures.” In essence, our actions are evidence of our thanksgiving.

He continued by giving specific examples. “Physically and spiritually we are submerged in the sea of God's favor. He has provided our foods, drink and other requirements; His favors encompass us from all directions. The sustenances provided for man are blessings. Sight, hearing and all his faculties are wonderful gifts. These blessings are innumerable; no matter how many are mentioned, they are still endless. Spiritual blessings are likewise endless -- spirit, consciousness, thought, memory, perception, ideation and other endowments. By these He has guided us, and we enter His Kingdom. He has opened the doors of all good before our faces. He has vouchsafed eternal glory. He has summoned us to the Kingdom of heaven. He has enriched us by the bestowals of God. Every day he has proclaimed new glad tidings. Every hour fresh bounties descend.”

--Excerpt from a talk given by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá and published in Promulgation of Universal Peace, pg. 236-237.

Being thankful is a continual process for Bahá’ís. For that reason Bahá’ís do not generally say prayers before meals, but there is a very appropriate prayer if one wishes to do so. It was revealed by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá.

“He is God! Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower the Merciful, the Compassionate.”

I participated in two elections today, both within the Baha'i community. That is a little unusual, seldom are two held back to back.
The one election was on a time-frame that we did not set, it was for the Regional Baha'i Council of the Central States, the other was for two officers of my Assembly.
The Regional Council election was scheduled by the National Assembly. We had a range of dates, from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8. Anytime the Assembly could meet within that time was sufficient. When these council elections were first held, they were on holy days which added to the holy day program. Since only Assembly members can vote for the Regional Councils, other people at the holy day programs were asked to pray while they voted. Apparently that procedure did not work well. I think this is better.
Members of local Assemblies cast the ballots for the Regional Councils. Any Baha'i in each region is elegible for membership to these councils, with a few exceptions - members of the National Spiritual Assembly and Continental Counsellors.
Some people are perplexed about how to select nine Baha'is out of all the Baha'is who live in the region. You don't have to know them all - just nine.
It is not possible to know them all, but it is possible to know nine and even more than nine. There are opportunites all year long to get to know other Baha'is in the region, but this usually requires leaving your home city. The other alternative is to invite Baha'is to come visit. If neither of these actions are taken - of course you won't know very many other Baha'is! And, of course, the longer you are active in the Baha'i community, the more Baha'is you will know.
Still, it can be a challenge to select nine, but it can be done.
The other election was specific just to my Assembly. Two officers had moved away and two other people had moved in. For several months we were without a Corresponding Secretary and a Treasurer. We appointed a person to relay communications, the money was put in envelopes and dated for future posting. We didn't have any critical bills that needed to be paid, so that worked.
This was an easier election, we had a body of nine (the Assembly members) to select from, yet it was more difficult because a simple majority of votes is not sufficient, a plurality is needed. Of the nine possible votes, we needed five to elect the officers. Six people attended the meeting to participate in the balloting, so a high degress of unity was needed. We achieved it in half a dozen ballots total. We were all impressed.
One of the new members is now our Corresponding Secretary and a long-time member is Treasurer. We can now move forward.

This weekend Baha'is in the U.S. will vote for their delegate to the National Baha'i Convention next spring which will elect the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States for the next year.

It is a process rather unusual when compared to political elections. Baha'is do not elect a representative who is to represent them at the convention, but a delegate who goes and votes according to his or her heart tells them. And their vote is confidential between them and God. It is a two tier election specified by 'Abdu'l-Baha.

There is no nominating, no campaigning, no electioneering, no canvassing for votes. These elections are an act of prayer.

The elections for these delegates are also an act of prayer. All elections in the Baha'i community are acts of prayer. Because of this, Baha'is are assured that the results are guided by God.

The people who are elected are surprised to be elected. No one can seek to be elected, so no one knows whether they may or may not be elected. As a result those who are elected feel a level of trust placed in them and they endeavor their best to carry out that trust.

The process has worked for nearly a century, I am confident it will continue to work for centuries more.

When it is Wrong to be Right

The Revelation of Baha'u'llah provides some new and challenging principles that are not found in earlier religious scripture. The most well known of these is the foundational principle that women are equal to men (to the extent that if all children can't be educated, preference is given to the girl because she will become the first educator of the next generation). Others include the primacy of agriculture as a profession (with teaching second), the elimination of clergy and decision-making by councils of consultation.

One of the principles involved in consultation is very challenging. It says basically: if a decision is wrong, uphold and support it.

It is very simple, but very difficult (especially if you disagree with the decision). No one wants to be wrong. This principle goes against the grain of much of western culture.

'Abdu'l-Baha explained that by following and supporting a wrong decision, it will become evident to everyone that it is wrong, and then it can be changed.

He also said that that "wrong" decision can end up being the right thing to do. (How odd!)

The third possibility, no ego wants to admit, is: maybe I was wrong instead of them. (gasp!)

The amount of peace we can bring into our daily lives, and our communities, by following this principle is amazing.

Here is what 'Abdu'l-Baha said: "If they (the Baha'is) agree upon a subject, even though it be wrong, it is better than to disagree and be in the right, for this difference will produce the demolition of the divine foundation. Though every one of the parties may be in the right and they disagree that will be the cause of a thousand wrongs, but if they agree and both parties are in the wrong, as it is in unity the truth will be revealed and the wrong made right."
- Baha'i World Faith, p. 411

Amazing!!

Bahai in Russia

I found a blog with mention of new religions in Russia and the opposition of the Orthodox Church. I can understand why the Baha’i Faith would be included, but it is not quite so new as it would seem. The Baha’i Faith itself is new (it is a young religion - every religion was young at one time), but its connection to Russia goes back to the earliest days of the faith. When the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith was exiled from Tehran in 1852, the Russian Minister to Persia offered Him sanctuary in Russia. Two decades later Baha’is were living in territory that was absorbed into Russia, and have continued to live there since then.

In Ashgobat, in present-day Turkmenistan, Baha’is elected a council in 1895. Baha’is have councils to fulfill the administrative function of priests in other religions. In 1904 a representative of the Czar attended the ceremony to mark the building of the first Baha’i House of Worship in Russia. Over the next decades councils were elected by Baha’is in other Russian cities, including Moscow and Leningrad.

At first the revolution had no impact on the Baha’i community until it was noticed that Baha’i activities were more popular than Young Pioneers, then repression began. Many Baha’is were exiled (the men to Siberia, women and children to Persia) and the House of Worship was confiscated. But isolated Baha’is continued to live in various cities.

During Perestroika the Baha’is felt free to contact each other and receive Baha’i visitors from other countries. In 1989 the Baha’i council of Ashgobat was elected again and gradually others across the Soviet Union. At the end of 1990 a national Baha’i convention was held in Moscow to elect a national Baha’i council for the USSR. Two years later different republics began to elect theirs.

For over a century and a half many Russians have found the Baha’i Faith helpful in their lives. The Baha’i Faith teaches that each person has an eternal soul and the purpose of this life is to prepare the soul for death and eternal life. Without developing our spiritual qualities our life after death will be very limited. The Baha’i Faith teaches that we are created in the spiritual image of God and we are the highest form of creation. The family is the basis of society and we should treat others with more honor that we expect for ourselves. We are to be servants of humanity.

Leaders of other religions object to the Baha’i Faith because so many people find its teachings to be deeply satisfying and meaningful. There is no ritual because it is the condition of a persons heart that is more important. Millions of people around the world from at least 2112 different nations, tribes, religions and ethnic groups are now Baha’is working peacefully together to transform their lives, their families and the world.

What Bahá’ís are doing

Bahá’ís are doing a curious thing, something that has never been done before in human history – or even before humans began recording history. They are trying to build a new, equitable social network around the whole planet to include everyone on the planet. No one will be forced to be part of this, but it will be open and available to everyone.
Sometimes this is hard to see and many people don’t. It can be hard to see if you don’t have a long-view perspective – over centuries. It’s not something that can be accomplished over night or in a few decades, it will take centuries.
Here is where the element of faith comes in. One has to have faith that it is possible, then make an effort to bring it about. We cannot be responsible for the resutls or the actions of other people. We are each only responsible for our individual effort. The effort is achievement.
The important part is that Bahá’ís are making an effort when few other people are even trying. Many have given up or refuse to try – the world is going to end, so why bother? The world is ending, but it is not going to end.
The world, the world view, that Western civilization is based on (including such ideas as: the white man is better than anyone else) is ending, because it does not work any more. A new world view is emerging (that all parts of the planet are interconnected). Thus we are in a transition and transitions can be frightening – so we have violence in reaction out of fear.
If a long-term view can be maintained, that all the people of the globe are getting lessons in learning to live and function together, then the chaos is understandable and fear is diminished.
This comning together of different peoples is a signal event of our times. Not so long ago people of different colors and religions lived in separate parts of the globe – brown skinned Hindus lived in India, black Africans lived Africa (tho the descendents of some former slaves are in America), white skinned Christians lived in Europe, red skinned people lived in the Americas. The european invasion of the Americas began to change all that. Now people from all kinds of places live in lots of other kinds of places. This process will continue. We cannot kill, or even hate, our neighbors and co-workers simply because they look different from us or have different beliefs, so we have to learn to live and work together.
It can be easy to become sidetracked by daily annoyances or even conflicts between people, even Bahá’ís (one Bahá’í described these as a clash of visions more than conflicting people since Bahá’ís are united in love for Bahá’u’lláh). It is love for Bahá’u’lláh that binds us together.
Bahá’u’lláh said there would be Houses of Justice and we were to turn to ‘Abdu’l- Bahá. ‘Abdu’l- Bahá instituted and encouraged the first Houses of Justice (though He did not insist on that name for them) and He created the Guardianship and appointed Shoghi Effendi to fill that position. Shoghi Effendi standardized the embryonic Houses of Justice as local and national Spiritual Assemblies. Shoghi Effendi’s “chief stewards” arranged for the election of the first international House of Justice. The purpose of all of this activity, stated by Bahá’u’lláh, et al, is to be a framework to assist humanity to achieve its unity. The structure is perfect, the humans putting it together are not. None of us is perfect. If we keep that it mind, it is easier to work together. It is simplier when we remember, “Breathe not the sins of others, so long as thou art thyself a sinner.” We have done it together for over a century and made great progress, we can continue to do it together for more centuries and make even more progress.

A Headless Body?

Some people claim that the Universal House of Justice, the Head of the world-wide Baha’i community is an organization without a head. This claim is made because the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith was specified as a permanent member and head of the House of Justice. There is no current Guardian because the conditions for a Guardian, clearly set forth by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, were not fulfilled. There is no Guardian, there cannot be a guardian in the future. But there is no indication in Bahá’í scripture that the House of Justice cannot exist without a Guardian. The Guardian functioned without the House of Justice, similarly the House of Justice can exist without a living Guardian.

Some people are so attached to the idea of a religious community having such a leader that they have appointed themselves, or others to be a guardian, despite ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s instructions. Some of those people also claim to be Baha’is.

Baha’u’llah clearly states who can claim to be a Baha’i – and that is one who is obedient to ‘Abdu’l-Baha, just as they are obedient to Baha’u’llah. By not following ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s instructions – they are not Baha’is.

It is very simple.

By claiming to accept Baha’u’llah and yet rejecting ‘Abdu’l-Baha, they have broken the Covenant of Baha’u’llah. Theirs is a very curious position.

Concern about the Covenant

The Covenant of Baha’u’llah is such a new thing in the history of mankind, and so early in its existence, that confusion and misunderstanding is to be expected.

Other religions seem to have flourished without such a covenant, so why would it be so important? Many people are unaware of the brutal massacres that have happened within every other religion: Christians murdering Christians, Muslims murdering Muslims, etc. Did any Messenger or Prophet want his followers to murder each other? It would be rather pointless.

The Covenant of Baha’u’llah was created by Baha’u’llah to prevent such schism and division between His followers.

For the first time in the history of the human race, the Messenger of God, Baha’u’llah, has written down the details of authoritative succession. By accepting Baha’u’llah as the current Messenger, one also accepts His covenant. A person who accepts this covenant, then repudiates and fights against it, is a breaker of that covenant. It is the responsibility of the Head of the Faith, as specified in the covenant, to protect the rest of the Baha’i community from that violater. It is simple and logical.

Baha’u’llah wrote that His son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha was to be the authority after Him and the Center of His Covenant. He also wrote the outline of the organizational structure to administer the community of His followers: councils of nine members. Never has an administrative system been provided by a Messenger of God.

‘Abdu’l-Baha wrote that His successor would be His grandson, Shoghi Effendi and began the establishment of the first administrative councils (in Tehran, Chicago, and other places). Shoghi Effendi did not appoint a successor in the same way. He built up the councils on the local and secondary levels and appointed “Chief Stewards,” of Hands of the Cause of God, to assist the Baha’i community. Shoghi Effendi also appointed a preliminary international council as a step toward the eventual international council that would be elected. When he died the Stewards continued his plans and arranged for the election of the international council which was designated the Universal House of Justice, the more formal name.

All the Stewards signed a statement that there was no successor to Shoghi Effendi as specified by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, therefore there could not be a successor. Shortly after than one of the Stewards proclaimed himself to be a successor of Shoghi Effendi as an imaginary “adopted son” of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. He then called on all Baha’is to turn to himself and away from the Universal House of Justice and the other Stewards, thus he broke the covenant Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha had established. He was no longer a member of the Baha’i community (by the definition set by Baha’u’llah), nor are his followers.

This attempt to divide the Baha’i community was not successful and itself became divided and subdivided – clearly evidence that the unity of the covenant of Baha’u’llah did not extend to these efforts. Just as the branch of a tree can stay green for a while after being cut from the tree, there appears to be some life in these groups, but they do not flourish. The Baha’i community, on the other hand, continues to grow and develop and increase its effectiveness in transforming the lives of its members and the communities they live in.

Who is a Baha'i?

I read a curious comment the other day - proposing that anyone who accepted Baha'u'llah as a Messenger of God could call themselves a Baha'i. Yet this is not the definition set by Baha'u'llah. He said, not only would a person need to accept His words, but those of his son, 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Universal House of Justice. 'Abdu'l-Baha then stated that to be faithful to Him AND to Baha'u'llah, one had to accept Shoghi Effendi, His grandson as the Guardian AND his instructions. AND 'Abdu'l-Baha specified that succesor Guardians had to be appointed by the Guardian and that appointment had to be approved by the Hands of the Cause.
Some people who claim to be Baha'is are on their third or fourth so-called "Guardian" without following 'Abdu'l-Baha's instructions for determining said Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. So, they have not fulfilled the qualifications for being Baha'i. (and, very curiously, one of those self-proclaimed "Guardians" had earlier signed a statement saying that there was no successor Guardian to Shoghi Effendi. Very curious indeed!!)
It may seem an insignificant matter, but when it is part of the Covenant of God that stretches back to Abraham and Noah - it is more significant.