Chapter 16
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Epilogue Under
the inspired guidance of Shoghi Effendi the Bahá'í Cause grew steadily in size
and in the establishment of its Administrative Order, so that by 1951 there were
eleven functioning National Spiritual Assemblies. At that point the Guardian turned
to the development of the institutions of the Faith at its international level,
appointing the International Bahá'í Council, the forerunner of the Universal House
of Justice, and, shortly thereafter, the first contingent of the Hands of the
Cause of God. Hitherto Shoghi Effendi has raised certain eminent Bahá'ís to the
rank of Hands of the Cause posthumously, one of them being Dr. John E. Esslemont,
but it was only in 1951 that he adjudged the time ripe to begin the full development
of this important institution. In rapid succession between 1951 and 1957 he appointed
thirty-two Hands and extended the range of their activities, instituting in each
continent Auxiliary Boards consisting of believers and appointed by the Hands
to be their deputies, assistants and advisors. Twenty-seven of these Hands were
living at the time of his passing. Through
a series of letters, some addressed to Bahá'ís throughout the world, and others
to those in specific countries, the Guardian deepened their understanding of the
teachings, built up the administrative institutions of the Faith, trained the
believers in their correct and effective use, and in 1937 launched the American
Bahá'í Community on its implementation of the Divine Plan for the diffusion of
Baha'u'llah's Message. This Divine Plan had been revealed by Abdu'l-Baha in a
number of Tablets written during the years of the First World War and constitutes
the charter for the propagation of the Faith. Within
the framework of this charter a number of teaching plans were carried out, first
in the Western Hemisphere, then also in Europe, Asia, Australasia and AFrica until
in 1953
the Guardian called for a "decade-long, world-embracing, spiritual crusade" to
carry the Faith to all the remaining independent states and principal dependencies
of the world. In
1957, as the midway point of the crusade approached, the Guardian, exhausted by
thirty-six years of unremitting labor, died while on a visit to London. As
Shoghi Effendi had no heir, the work of the Faith after November 1957 was coordinated
and directed by the twenty-seven Hands of the Cause until the victorious completion
of the crusade in April 1963, at which time the first Universal House of Justice
was elected by the members of fifty-six National Spiritual Assemblies convened
at the Bahá'í World Center in Haifa by the Hands of the Cause. Immediately
following this historic election, Bahá'ís from all parts of the globe gathered
in London at the first World Congress of the Faith to celebrate the Centenary
of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah and to rejoice in the worldwide spread of His
Faith. The
supreme institution of the Faith today is the Universal House of Justice, created
by Baha'u'llah in His Most Holy Book, invested with authority to legislate on
all matters not covered in the Bahá'í Writings, and assured divine guidance in
the Sacred Text itself. Abdu'l-Baha, in His Will and testament, lays down the
method of election of the Universal House of Justice, define sits station and
duties more clearly, and asserts that it is under the direct guidance of the Bab
and Baha'u'llah and is the body to which all must turn. The
unique and distinguishing feature of the Bahá'í Faith is the Covenant of Baha'u'llah,
the bedrock upon which the Faith raises all its structures and bases its development.
Its uniqueness is that for the first time in religious history the Manifestation
of God, in clear and unambiguous language, provides for the authorized interpretation
of His Word, and ensures the continuity of the divinely appointed authority which
flows from the Source of the Faith. Interpretation
of Scripture has always in earlier religions been a most fertile source of schism.
Baha'u'llah, in the Book of His Covenant, vested in His eldest son, Abdu'l-Baha,
full
powers for the interpretation of His Writings and for the direction of His Cause.
Abdu'l-Baha, in His Will and Testament, appointed His eldest grandson, Shoghi
Effendi, Guardian of the Faith and sole interpreter of the Writings. There is
no priesthood within the Faith and no individual may claim special station or
guidance; authority is vested in institutions created within the Bahá'í Scriptures.
By
virtue of these unique provisions, the Faith of Baha'u'llah has been preserved
from schism, from the depredations of unauthorized leadership, and above all from
the infiltration of man-made doctrines and theories, which in the past have shattered
the unity of religions. Pure and inviolate, the revealed Word of Baha'u'llah,
with its authorized interpretation, remains throughout the Dispensation the uncorrupted
and incorruptible source of spiritual life to men. In
1968 the Universal House of Justice took action to provide for the future carrying
out of the specific functions of protection and propagation vested in the Hands
of the Cause, by the establishment of Continental Board of Counsellors. Each Board
consists of a number of Counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice,
and they work in close collaboration with the Hands of the Cause of God. The appointment
and direction of Auxiliary Boards is now the duty of the Boards of Counsellors,
and the activities of the Hands, of whom fourteen are still living, have been
extended to be worldwide. In June 1973 the Universal House of Justice established
in the Holy Land an International Teaching Centre and assigned it the activities
of the Continental Board of Counsellors and as liaison between them and the Universal
House of Justice. The
Guardian had written of future global teaching plans to be carried out under the
direction of the Universal House of Justice, and the first of these, a Nine Year
Plan, was launched in 1964. This was followed by a Five Year Plan terminating
at Ridvan 1979. At the present time, 1979, the Bahá'í Faith has been established
in 172 independent states. There are Bahá'ís living in over 103,000 localities
throughout the world; Bahá'í literature has been translated into over 650 languages;
the sixth and seventh
Bahá'í Temples are being built in India and Samoa; land for 123 other Temples
has been acquired; there are 125 National Spiritual Assemblies and 25,500 Local
Spiritual Assemblies. Bahá'ís are now energetically pursuing a Seven Year Plan
designed to further expand and consolidate the growth of the Faith throughout
the world. Most
encouraging of all has been the response of the masses in such places as Africa,
India, Southeast Asia and Latin America, where large numbers of the indigenous
peoples have begun to enter the Cause, bringing about a new stage in the development
of the administrative and social activities of the worldwide Bahá'í community.
|
Site Map
