Joel J. Marangella
2009-09-11 18:24:27 UTC
POSTED ON BEHALF OF THE GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH
IS THERE NO NEED FOR BAHA'I GOVERNMENT IN A FUTURE WORLD?
Several pseudo sans-Guardan Baha'i groups, outside the sans-Guardian Haifa
organization, have emerged since the passing of Shoghi Effendi which,
inexplicably, are devoting an inordinate amount of time in their writing
endeavors to discredit the validity of the Will and Testament of
'Abdu'l-Baha by hearkening back to the vacuous, senseless and fallacious
claims made almost 90 years ago by Ruth White and Ahmad Sohrab, following
the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and the establishment of his New History
Society. However, they have not told us the name of the author who,
otherwise, had the obvious brilliance, sagacity and wisdom to compose this
alleged spurious document.
While these groups incredibly believe that the Baha'i Administrative Order
was never intended by 'Abdu'l-Baha and argue that His Will and Testament is
a forged document, they cannot deny the fact that Baha'u'llah has decreed in
His Most Holy Book, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, that Houses of Justice be established
in every city? It then follows that, as long as there are independent
countries in the world there will obviously be a need for National Houses of
Justice and a supreme or International House of Justice, as well, to enact
necessary legislation that meets the requirements of an ever changing and
advancing civilization and to serve as the final and supreme arbiter of
legal and such other disputes that will invitability arise which have
universal applicability and ramifications. Accordingly, 'Abdu'l-Baha
provided in His Will and Testament for these necessary institutions.
It should be obvious that in the future, when the world is entirely Baha'i,
and secular institutions have been replaced by Baha'i institutions, these
institutions, of necessity, will be called upon, in addition to their
administrative function, to exercise a judicial function as the Laws of the
Aqdas are fully applied to the adherents of the Faith.
Having recognized the need for the performance of legislative and judicial
functions of Baha'i government in the future World Order of Baha'u'llah,
there remains the essential need for the performance of executive functions
in this Order. This need, again, has been recognized and provided for by
'Abdu'l-Baha in His Will and Testament with the institution of the
Guardianship and his deputies, the Hands of the Cause. For as 'Abdu'l-Baha
has emphasized, "The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the
executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close
union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and
justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may
become even as Paradise itself."
In view of the foregoing, the short-sighted members of these recalcitrant
and pseudo Baha'i groups are challenged to consider the following words of
Shoghi Effendi, in his work: The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, in which he
has pointed out the features that distinguish the Baha'i Administrative
Order from the various types of past governments and then explain either,
why no Bahai government will be necessary in the future Baha'i world or in
what way, and in what form, any Baha'i government that may be devised and
substituted by them, or by others who think like them, will be more
effective and superior to the Administrative Order prescribed in the Will
and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha which they have been so ready to unreasonably,
maliciously and vehemently decry:
"The Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha'u'llah must in no wise be
regarded as purely democratic in character inasmuch as the basic assumption
which requires all democracies to depend fundamentally upon getting their
mandate from the people is altogether lacking in this Dispensation. In the
conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith, in the enactment of the
legislation necessary to supplement the laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the
members of the Universal House of Justice, it should be borne in mind, are
not, as Baha'u'llah's utterances clearly imply, responsible to those whom
they represent, nor are they allowed to be governed by the feelings, the
general opinion, and even the convictions of the mass of the faithful, or of
those who directly elect them. They are to follow, in a prayerful attitude,
the dictates and promptings of their conscience. They may, indeed they must,
acquaint themselves with the conditions prevailing among the community, must
weigh dispassionately in their minds the merits of any case presented for
their consideration, but must reserve for themselves the right of an
unfettered decision. 'God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He
willeth,' is Baha'u'llah's incontrovertible assurance. They, and not the
body of those who either directly or indirectly elect them, have thus been
made the recipients of the divine guidance which is at once the life-blood
and ultimate safeguard of this Revelation. Moreover, he who symbolizes the
hereditary principle in this Dispensation has been made the interpreter of
the words of its Author, and ceases consequently, by virtue of the actual
authority vested in him, to be the figurehead invariably associated with the
prevailing systems of constitutional monarchies.
"Nor can the Baha'i Administrative Order be dismissed as a hard and rigid
system of unmitigated autocracy or as an idle imitation of any form of
absolutistic ecclesiastical government, whether it be the Papacy, the
Imamate or any other similar institution, for the obvious reason that upon
the international elected representatives of the followers of Baha'u'llah
has been conferred the exclusive right of legislating on matters not
expressly revealed in the Baha'i writings. Neither the Guardian of the
Faith nor any institution apart from the International House of Justice can
ever usurp this vital and essential power or encroach upon that sacred
right. The abolition of professional priesthood with its accompanying
sacraments of baptism, of communion and of confession of sins, the laws
requiring the election by universal suffrage of all local, national, and
international Houses of Justice, the total absence of episcopal authority
with its attendant privileges, corruptions and bureaucratic tendencies, are
further evidences of the non-autocratic character of the Baha'i
Administrative Order and of its inclination to democratic methods in the
administration of its affairs.
"Nor is this Order identified with the name of Baha'u'llah to be confused
with any system of purely aristocratic government in view of the fact that
it upholds, on the one hand, the hereditary principle and entrusts the
Guardian of the Faith with the obligation of interpreting its teachings, and
provides, on the other, for the free and direct election from among the mass
of the faithful of the body that constitutes its highest legislative organ.
"Whereas this Administrative Order cannot be said to have been modelled
after any of these recognized systems of government, it nevertheless
embodies, reconciles and assimilates within its framework such wholesome
elements as are to be found in each one of them. The hereditary authority,
which the Guardian is called upon to exercise, the vital and essential
functions which the Universal House of Justice discharges, the specific
provisions requiring its democratic election by the representatives of the
faithful--these combine to demonstrate the truth that this divinely revealed
Order, which can never be identified with any of the standard types of
government referred to by Aristotle in his works, embodies and blends with
the spiritual verities on which it is based the beneficent elements which
are to be found in each one of them. The admitted evils inherent in each of
these systems being rigidly and permanently excluded, this unique Order,
however long it may endure and however extensive its ramifications, cannot
ever degenerate into any form of despotism, of oligarchy, or of demagogy
which must sooner or later corrupt the machinery of all man-made and
essentially defective political institutions."
Finally, these pseudo Baha'is should be asked whether it is preferable for
the Faith to be torn asunder throughout the future reaches of time by a
multiplicity of sectarian interpretations of the Word of God, such as those
that have plagued the religions of the past, or whether it is preferable and
eminently desirable that the peoples of the world embrace a Faith whose
administration is based on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the
merits of which have been outlined above by Shoghi Effendi, and thereby
united for as long as the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah endures under a
single interpretive authority of the Word of God - the Guardianship - as
provided for in that sacred, immutable and immortal Document?
Joel Bray Marangella
Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
September 2009
IS THERE NO NEED FOR BAHA'I GOVERNMENT IN A FUTURE WORLD?
Several pseudo sans-Guardan Baha'i groups, outside the sans-Guardian Haifa
organization, have emerged since the passing of Shoghi Effendi which,
inexplicably, are devoting an inordinate amount of time in their writing
endeavors to discredit the validity of the Will and Testament of
'Abdu'l-Baha by hearkening back to the vacuous, senseless and fallacious
claims made almost 90 years ago by Ruth White and Ahmad Sohrab, following
the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and the establishment of his New History
Society. However, they have not told us the name of the author who,
otherwise, had the obvious brilliance, sagacity and wisdom to compose this
alleged spurious document.
While these groups incredibly believe that the Baha'i Administrative Order
was never intended by 'Abdu'l-Baha and argue that His Will and Testament is
a forged document, they cannot deny the fact that Baha'u'llah has decreed in
His Most Holy Book, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, that Houses of Justice be established
in every city? It then follows that, as long as there are independent
countries in the world there will obviously be a need for National Houses of
Justice and a supreme or International House of Justice, as well, to enact
necessary legislation that meets the requirements of an ever changing and
advancing civilization and to serve as the final and supreme arbiter of
legal and such other disputes that will invitability arise which have
universal applicability and ramifications. Accordingly, 'Abdu'l-Baha
provided in His Will and Testament for these necessary institutions.
It should be obvious that in the future, when the world is entirely Baha'i,
and secular institutions have been replaced by Baha'i institutions, these
institutions, of necessity, will be called upon, in addition to their
administrative function, to exercise a judicial function as the Laws of the
Aqdas are fully applied to the adherents of the Faith.
Having recognized the need for the performance of legislative and judicial
functions of Baha'i government in the future World Order of Baha'u'llah,
there remains the essential need for the performance of executive functions
in this Order. This need, again, has been recognized and provided for by
'Abdu'l-Baha in His Will and Testament with the institution of the
Guardianship and his deputies, the Hands of the Cause. For as 'Abdu'l-Baha
has emphasized, "The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the
executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close
union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and
justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may
become even as Paradise itself."
In view of the foregoing, the short-sighted members of these recalcitrant
and pseudo Baha'i groups are challenged to consider the following words of
Shoghi Effendi, in his work: The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, in which he
has pointed out the features that distinguish the Baha'i Administrative
Order from the various types of past governments and then explain either,
why no Bahai government will be necessary in the future Baha'i world or in
what way, and in what form, any Baha'i government that may be devised and
substituted by them, or by others who think like them, will be more
effective and superior to the Administrative Order prescribed in the Will
and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha which they have been so ready to unreasonably,
maliciously and vehemently decry:
"The Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha'u'llah must in no wise be
regarded as purely democratic in character inasmuch as the basic assumption
which requires all democracies to depend fundamentally upon getting their
mandate from the people is altogether lacking in this Dispensation. In the
conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith, in the enactment of the
legislation necessary to supplement the laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the
members of the Universal House of Justice, it should be borne in mind, are
not, as Baha'u'llah's utterances clearly imply, responsible to those whom
they represent, nor are they allowed to be governed by the feelings, the
general opinion, and even the convictions of the mass of the faithful, or of
those who directly elect them. They are to follow, in a prayerful attitude,
the dictates and promptings of their conscience. They may, indeed they must,
acquaint themselves with the conditions prevailing among the community, must
weigh dispassionately in their minds the merits of any case presented for
their consideration, but must reserve for themselves the right of an
unfettered decision. 'God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He
willeth,' is Baha'u'llah's incontrovertible assurance. They, and not the
body of those who either directly or indirectly elect them, have thus been
made the recipients of the divine guidance which is at once the life-blood
and ultimate safeguard of this Revelation. Moreover, he who symbolizes the
hereditary principle in this Dispensation has been made the interpreter of
the words of its Author, and ceases consequently, by virtue of the actual
authority vested in him, to be the figurehead invariably associated with the
prevailing systems of constitutional monarchies.
"Nor can the Baha'i Administrative Order be dismissed as a hard and rigid
system of unmitigated autocracy or as an idle imitation of any form of
absolutistic ecclesiastical government, whether it be the Papacy, the
Imamate or any other similar institution, for the obvious reason that upon
the international elected representatives of the followers of Baha'u'llah
has been conferred the exclusive right of legislating on matters not
expressly revealed in the Baha'i writings. Neither the Guardian of the
Faith nor any institution apart from the International House of Justice can
ever usurp this vital and essential power or encroach upon that sacred
right. The abolition of professional priesthood with its accompanying
sacraments of baptism, of communion and of confession of sins, the laws
requiring the election by universal suffrage of all local, national, and
international Houses of Justice, the total absence of episcopal authority
with its attendant privileges, corruptions and bureaucratic tendencies, are
further evidences of the non-autocratic character of the Baha'i
Administrative Order and of its inclination to democratic methods in the
administration of its affairs.
"Nor is this Order identified with the name of Baha'u'llah to be confused
with any system of purely aristocratic government in view of the fact that
it upholds, on the one hand, the hereditary principle and entrusts the
Guardian of the Faith with the obligation of interpreting its teachings, and
provides, on the other, for the free and direct election from among the mass
of the faithful of the body that constitutes its highest legislative organ.
"Whereas this Administrative Order cannot be said to have been modelled
after any of these recognized systems of government, it nevertheless
embodies, reconciles and assimilates within its framework such wholesome
elements as are to be found in each one of them. The hereditary authority,
which the Guardian is called upon to exercise, the vital and essential
functions which the Universal House of Justice discharges, the specific
provisions requiring its democratic election by the representatives of the
faithful--these combine to demonstrate the truth that this divinely revealed
Order, which can never be identified with any of the standard types of
government referred to by Aristotle in his works, embodies and blends with
the spiritual verities on which it is based the beneficent elements which
are to be found in each one of them. The admitted evils inherent in each of
these systems being rigidly and permanently excluded, this unique Order,
however long it may endure and however extensive its ramifications, cannot
ever degenerate into any form of despotism, of oligarchy, or of demagogy
which must sooner or later corrupt the machinery of all man-made and
essentially defective political institutions."
Finally, these pseudo Baha'is should be asked whether it is preferable for
the Faith to be torn asunder throughout the future reaches of time by a
multiplicity of sectarian interpretations of the Word of God, such as those
that have plagued the religions of the past, or whether it is preferable and
eminently desirable that the peoples of the world embrace a Faith whose
administration is based on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the
merits of which have been outlined above by Shoghi Effendi, and thereby
united for as long as the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah endures under a
single interpretive authority of the Word of God - the Guardianship - as
provided for in that sacred, immutable and immortal Document?
Joel Bray Marangella
Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
September 2009