CMR First Encyclical Letter

FIRST ENCYCLICAL LETTER

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TO THE BAHA'I WORLD

THIS IS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF ENCYCLICAL LETTERS FROM MASON REMEY, THE GUARDIAN OF THE BAHA'I FAITH

Sent Forth From Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Dear Friends of the Faith :

In my Proclamation to the Bahá'í World - Ridván 117 of this Bahá'í Era - I announced to the Bahá'í world that the Beloved Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, had in his own life time appointed me to follow him in the Guardianship of the Faith as the Second Guardian of the Bahá'í Cause, and that I have been the Guardian of the Faith (and had stood alone guarding the Faith) since the death of the First Guardian of the Faith.

In answer to any questions that may arise amongst the believers as to why Shoghi Effendi had thus chosen me, an American Bahá'í, to fill this office of Guardian of the Faith to follow him, I would remind such questioners that the Infallible First Guardian of the Faith appointed me to my present office in the Faith -- appointed me during his life time as Guardian of the Faith. No believer should question this infallible appointment!

This I explained in my recent Proclamation declaring that I, Mason Remey, made no claims upon mine own behalf but that I was merely telling the Bahá'í world what might have been evident to them had they realized that there had been no break in the Guardianship of the Faith between the First and Second Guardians of the Cause; for inasmuch as my appointment was during the life time of Shoghi Effendi, automatically at his death I was the Second Guardian of the Faith!

Therefore, in view of these facts there should be no question as to the legitimacy of my Guardianship since the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi accomplished this appointment all in accordance with the Will and Testament of the Master 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

Let all Bahá'ís study the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá that each can understand for himself and for herself the manner in which the Beloved Guardian built up and developed the Administration of the Faith, built up the Administration upon the directions that were contained in the Will and Testament of the Master 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

The Administration of the Faith, that is inseparable from the Guardianship of the Faith, is now under the attack of the violating Hands of the Faith. This is the present issue that the Bahá'í world faces! It is the question of the violation and the putting aside and to naught of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l -

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Bahá and also of all that the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi accomplished during his long ministry as the First Guardian of the Faith.

All Bahá'ís understand that the Guardian of the Faith is to be the President of the Universal House of Justice and that the Universal House of Justice cannot exist without coexistence of the Guardianship. He who is President of the Universal House of Justice is the Guardian of the Faith for he who is the Guardian of the Faith is President of the Universal House of Justice. These two offices are one and the same. Therefore, when the Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi appointed me President of the Bahá'í International Council, that he explained was the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice that was the Embryonic Universal House of Justice that would eventually develop into the Universal House of Justice. I or one of my successors in Guardianship would be President of this divinely instituted infallible body, the Universal House of Justice; therefore the Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith and the Presidency of the Universal House of Justice are one and the same position in the Faith.

According to this manner of reasoning did the Beloved Guardian appoint me to be his successor as President to be of the Universal House of Justice and the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith.

Now the Bahá'í Faith faces the opposition of the Hands of the Faith who in violation of the Will and Testament of the Master 'Abdu'l-Bahá and of the Administration of the Faith built up upon this Sacred Document by the Beloved Guardian, (this organization of the Hands of the Faith that has no authority whatsoever according to Holy Bahá'í Writ - no authority to exist), would put an end for all time to the divine office of the Guardianship of the Faith.

This is the problem that the cause faces now at this time, the problem of violation of the Guardianship of the Faith.

During the years of the mission of and the administration of Bahá'í affairs by our late Beloved Guardian Shoghi Effendi there have been but few cases of violation of the Faith -- such as, for example, the Ahmad Sohrab defection known as the New History Society and one or two others. These were promptly settled by the Guardian, by the cutting off from the believers and from the cause by his orders these violators.

But now this present well organized violation so far endorsed by all of the Hands of the Faith in their last message to the Bahá'í world of November 1959, signed by twenty two of the Hands of the Faith (all that were present) with the exception of myself who refused to sign, threatens the existence of the Faith throughout the entire world.

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Therefore, for the protection of the Faith it is necessary that the believers review and re-study the teachings of the Master 'Abdu'l-Bahá about "Violation" and the manner in which this should be met by the people of the Faith.

In the Master 's last message to the Bahá'ís in this country - a cablegram sent through Roy Wilhelm in New York to me and to another believer (Mrs. Parsons) in Washington were the words, "He who sits with leper contracts leprosy." In many of the Master's other teachings he pronounces "Violation" to be a spiritually infectious plague - a disease destructive to the spiritual life of the soul of man.

I urge all believers to read and to study the Master's teaching upon "Violation" that they will thus be able to reinforce and protect themselves and the cause against this menace .

Knowledge of the revealed teachings of the Faith will guide the people of the cause to protect the Faith from all such spiritually disintegrating diseases. The believers should study these teachings and thus prepare themselves to avoid these destructive forces of "Violation".

In order to protect our Faith I, the Guardian of the Cause, order the believers to have nothing whatsoever to do with those who are violating the Administration of the Bahá'í Faith. The faithful believers should do what they can to explain this to those who waveringly follow these violators thus to bring them back into the Faith that they are violating, but if people persist in their violation the faithful believers should leave them to themselves not associate nor fraternize with them. Nor should they in any way give cooperation or support of any description to these violators - this means no cooperation at all with them the faithful friends should not contribute any money to the activities of these violators nor in any other way countenance any of the activities of this violation .

At this present time Rúhíyyih Kh ánum is travelling throughout the Bahá'í centers in America upholding, preaching and teaching this violation of the Faith - the Administration of the Faith as established by the Beloved Guardian and the ending of the Guardianship!

She is the arch-violator of the violators of this present testing time of the believers. The people of the Faith should not give audience to her, for her determination is to destroy the administration and the Guardianship. The Master 'Abdu'l-Bahá told us that the very breath as a violator is infectious and as a spiritual poison to the Faith! Every believer should study his words.

What more is it possible for me your Guardian to say to you in order to arouse all to protect the Faith?

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Faithfully in El Abhá

MASON R. GUARDIAN of the Bahá'í Faith

Source: Dave Cornell