FAQ About the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith
Why do you call it "Orthodox"?
How Can There Be More Than One Bahá'í Faith?
Where can I Learn More About the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith?
Do you have more questions? SEND THEM INWhy do you call it "Orthodox"?
The word "orthodox" means adhering to the accepted original or traditional and established faith. This is a temporary appellation used to distinguish the believers whom have accepted Mason Remey as the second Guardian, and Joel B. Marangella as the third Guardian, from those believers who believe that the Guardianship ended with the death of Shoghi Effendi. Orthodox Bahá'ís calls that group the "heterodox" Bahá'ís to signify their departure from the original texts of the Bahá'í Writings.
Return to Top How Can There Be More Than One Bahá'í Faith?Surely one of the central teachings of the Bahá'í Writings is that it cannot be split into sects. It has been promised that there shall be only one Bahá'í Faith. However, the Writings also are clear that unity in the Cause can be maintained ONLY by obedience to the GUARDIAN. From the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha:
"The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Baha'u'llah) be repeated when the Center of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others. No doubt every vainglorious one that purposeth dissension and discord will not openly declare his evil purposes, nay rather, even as impure gold, will he seize upon divers measures and various pretexts that he may separate the gathering of the people of Baha."
The horrible fact is that the vast majority of the Bahá'ís have turned against the Guardian and caused a division in the Faith. Our living Guardian has stated that the Great Violation will not stand, however, and that the Cause of Baha'u'llah is destined to triumph and that every clause of the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha will come to pass. The Guardian has urged all of the misled believers in the heterodox organization to flee that organization and to come under the loving shadow of the Tree of the Covenant.
Why is the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith focused upon the history of events surrounding Shoghi Effendi's death?
The Orthodox Bahá'í Faith is not concerned about the historical past so much as it is concerned about the continuing violation of the Bahá'í Covenant that began upon Shoghi Effendi's death. Without the Covenant and its central Institutions such as the Guardianship, then there is nothing left for the Bahá'ís to teach. The Guardianship IS the Bahá'í Faith. Therefore, unless and until the Bahá'í world faces up to the fact that the Covenant was violated after Shoghi Effendi's death, and that violation continues to this day, the Faith will not emerge triumphant. [FN1] We believe that the Cause of God belongs to Baha'u'llah, and we know that He will make it triumphant eventually. However, for this to be realized the Bahá'ís must obey the living Guardian, the Center of the Cause.
Return to TopSince the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith has fewer members than the heterodox Faith, why not just unite with the main group?
When it comes to faith, it is not important how many members there are. There are far more people who do not believe in Baha'u'llah than the few people who do believe. Does that mean that, for the sake of unity, all Bahá'ís should join the Christian churches? The issue is faith. The Orthodox Bahá'ís believe that, as Shoghi Effendi clearly stated, the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá is equated in its sacredness and immutability with Bahá'u'lláh's Most Holy Book-the Kitáb-i-Aqdas-and that these two Documents are "inseparable parts of one complete unit", that Abdu'l-Bahá's Will constitutes a part of the explicit Holy Text whose laws and provisions, including those applicable to the continuity of the Guardianship, are destined to remain inviolate, unchanged and applicable as long as the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, itself, is to endure.[FN2] Thus, it is impossible for the Orthodox Bahá'ís to unite with the heterodox. To do so, would be to turn away from and betray God Himself.
Return to TopWhere can I Learn More About the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith?
There are a number of web sites that contain complete information about the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith. Go to these sites:
The National Bahá'í Council of the United States
The above sites have links to a variety of other sites maintained by the Institutions or believers of the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith. If you would like printed material mailed to you, please write to:
The National Bahá'í Council of the United States
PO Box 3201
Roswell, NM 88201
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Do you have more questions? SEND THEM IN
"Such a condition we must not allow to happen. Even though we be but a mere handful--a very small number of followers faithful to the Covenant and the Administration of the Guardianship--we, with all the world in violation against us, must stand together and support the Guardianship.
"We must stand in firmness for the Guardianship, that is, the Administration of our Faith. Not only must we do this for our own sakes and for the present existence of our Faith; but it must be done for the Faith in the ages to come, for if we fail now and allow the Guardianship to pass out of existence and this spiritual line of heritage to become extinct, future generations will have no Cause. All infallible divine guidance will be at an end.
"Therefore, Friends of the Bahá'í Faith, arise and maintain the life center--the heart and soul of the Abha Kingdom upon earth that is the Guardianship--for only by our doing so will the Cause of El Abha be saved for this world. Even though all the rest of the world be against us, nothing can destroy the Cause so long as even a small few believers stand in support of the Guardian and the continued Guardianship of the Bahá'í Faith." Mason Remey, second Guardian's second Encyclical Letter (1960)
[FN2] "Shoghi Effendi has further acclaimed this sacred and immortal Document 'as the inevitable offspring resulting from that mystic intercourse between Him Who communicated the generating influence of His divine Purpose (Baha’u’llah) and the One Who was its vehicle and chosen recipient' ('Abdu'l-Bahá) and has emphasized that this Will 'Being the Child of the Covenant – the Heir of both the Originator and the Interpreter of the Law of God – can no more be divorced from Him Who supplied the original and motivating impulse than from the One Who ultimately conceived it.' In the light of this significant statement we can understand the following comments of Shoghi Effendi concerning this momentous Document:
'For nothing short of the explicit directions of their Book, and the surprisingly emphatic language with which they have clothed the provisions of their Will, could possibly safeguard the Faith for which they have both so gloriously labored all their lives.' (underlinings have been added for emphasis)
Having gained the understanding that the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá as a result of its joint Authorship is the Child of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, we are better prepared to understand the relationship of this sacred and divinely-conceived Document to the Aqdas–Bahá'u'lláh's Most Holy Book. In explaining this relationship, Shoghi Effendi has stated that the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá 'confirms, supplements, and correlates the provisions of the Aqdas' and that as these two sacred Documents are complementary and 'mutually confirm one another' they are inseparable parts of one complete unit. An understanding of these two points (i.e. the joint Authorship of the Will and the fact that the Will and Aqdas are parts of one unit – the 'explicit Holy Text' ) is critical to the realization of the falsity of the heretical doctrines espoused by the heterodox Bahá'ís. For it is obvious that to change or annul any of the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá or to declare that some of its provisions have become null and void, as, in fact, the heterodox Bahá’ís have claimed, is to nullify the provisions of the explicit Holy Text and the Purpose of Bahá'u'lláh, Himself. In declaring the sacred Text of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will to be co-equal in status with the Text of the Aqdas, Shoghi Effendi has made it clear that the faithful Bahá'ís can no more tamper with or alter the sacred provisions of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Will than they can with the immutable laws of the Aqdas which every faithful Bahá'í believes will endure and remain inviolable as long as the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh endures (promised by Him to last at least a full thousand years). If one accepts the fallacious doctrine that certain provisions of the Will and Testament have become null and void some 36 years after the passing of 'Abdu'l Baha (i.e. with the passing of Shoghi Effendi), as claimed by the heterodox Bahá'ís, the enquirer may justifiably ask how these Bahá'ís can uphold the immutability and indestructibility of the provisions and laws of the Aqdas and prevent them from suffering, as time goes on, a deformation as severe as that inflicted upon the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá at their hands." Joel B. Marangella, What is the Meaning of Loyalty to the Covenant of Baha’u'llah and Who are the Present Day Covenant-Breakers?