Bahá'u'lláh was NOT a prophet, but a MANIFESTATION

A MANIFESTATION IS NOT A PROPHET

I have always thought that Manifestations are not prophets at all. Manifestations like Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Bahá'u'lláh don't predict the future. They start the future. Through Bahá'u'lláh God has started a new era. It's like God is the Employer, Bahá'u'lláh the Foreman and we are the workers. The Employer expect that the work shall be done and gives instructions to the Foreman. And this is not prohecies, because the Employer and the Foreman don't predict that the work shall be done. They know that the work shall be done.

Jesaja was a prophet. Elisa was a prophet, Jeremiah was a profet, etc, and maybe also 'Abdu'l-Bahá was a prophet. But Zarathustra, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, Báb and Bahá'u'lláh were Manifestations = Foremen. They didn't predict anything – the started new eras by giving God's orders to the humanity.

Mi Randa

Anagrams of the Guardian Shoghi Effendi

The belowed Guardian Shoghi Effendi Rabbani (Mars 1, 1897 -- Nov 4, 1957) has translated amounts of Bahá'u'lláh's writings to English. "Feeds Info High" is a good anagram for all his work.

But if he with bad intentions translated it wrong the anagram "Feed Of High Sin" is better.

Revision, Censorship, and Suppression in Modern Baha'i Literature

About Posthumous Additions, Deletions, and Suppression in Popular Baha'i Books

During the first half of this century, English speaking Baha'is who were interested in the history of the movement generally came to rely upon the works of the British orientalist Edward Granville Browne 1) because, not only were they scholarly, reasonably sympathetic, and the most accurate sources at that time, but because they were essentially the only English language sources available which treated the subject in any depth. Therefore, Browne's works were cited quite frequently in a number of books by popular Baha'i authors. But, as time passed, Browne's materials began to be replaced by the hagiographical works, God Passes By and The Dawnbreakers; the former being a survey of the first hundred years of the movement by Shoghi Effendi, while The Dawnbreakers is a translation of an early history by Nabil Zarandi, a partisan of Baha'u'llah. ( Browne's comments which cast the Baha'i faith in a favorable light still appear in Baha'i books, but his opinions on the origins and evolution of the faith have become quite unwelcome in recent years.

Evidence of attempts on the part of Baha'is to divert readers from Browne's contributions to Babi and Baha'i history can be seen by comparing original and later editions of All Things Made New by John Ferraby. Ferraby, who served as the National Secretary of the British Baha'i community and who was appointed a "Hand of the Cause" in 1957, penned an introduction to the faith which was published that same year. The original edition contains a list of references, as well as a list of abbreviations of "Baha'i Books Referred To." Browne's Materials for the Study of the Babi Religion and his translation of A Traveller's Narrative , with notes, both appear in these lists, but have been removed from the 1987 edition, which was revised posthumously. Further, Browne's writings are still included in the text of the book, but the references have been changed so that they no longer direct the reader to the primary source, but to Baha'i books which contain the same quotations, as well material which is critical of Browne. Apparently, the editors wish to make use of the scholar's favorable comments, but refer their readers to books which question Browne's value as an authority on the subject and which may neutralize potential problems which could result from consultation of his more critical writings.

About the treatment of Esselmont's book Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era

Another case of suppression involves John E. Esselmont's (Esselmont is the man on the photo above) use of materials by the former Baha'i historian Abdu'l-Husayn Ayati, named Avarih or Wanderer by Abdu'l-Baha. Avarih was also a "Hand of the Cause" who was commissioned by Abdu'l-Baha to write a history of the Baha'i Faith in Persian, which was published in 1923 and 1924. After completing a missionary journey to Europe, Avarih lost faith in the Cause and was subsequently declared a Covenant-breaker 2) by Shoghi Effendi. In the original edition of Baha'u'llah and the New Era, Esselmont expressed his gratitude to Avarih for his assistance in the preparation of the book and referred to him as "the learned Persian historian of the Baha'i movement." In later editions, this acknowledgement has been removed from the preface without any notation.

Avarih was quoted five times in the original edition to shed additional light on certain events. Two of these quotations were dropped completely from the text of the 1980 edition, but the other three were retained entirely. However, in one note, Avarih's name has disappeared and there is no reference to any source. In another he is quoted, but his name has been substituted by the words "On this point a historian remarks." And finally, Esselmont included an account of the marriage of Abdu'l-Baha which was "kindly supplied to the writer by Janab-i-Avarih," but the 1980 edition refers only to "a Persian historian of the Baha'i Faith."

Actually, these are but a few of the many changes which were originally made in the 1937 revision of the Baha'u'llah and the New Era by "the American National Spiritual Assembly, acting under the advice and approval of Shoghi Effendi." The preface to the 1937 edition states that the revision was necessary to correct "a few errors of fact," to update Esselmont's explanations of the stations of Abdu'l-Baha and the Bab, and to remove his treatments of issues which are no longer relevant to the Faith". It is further stated that "these revisions in no respect alter the original plan of Dr. Esselmont's book, nor effect the major portion of his text." These assertions, however, are misleading. In fact, there have been over forty changes, some of which include entire sections or paragraphs totaling hundreds of words. And, some of the revisions do "alter the original plan of Dr. Esselmont's book." This is certainly the case in the removal of Esselmont's eyewitness accounts of discourses by Abdu'l-Baha.

Like many of the early Western believers, Esselmont was captivated by and completely devoted to his Master, Abdu'l-Baha. After corresponding with him, Esselmont received an invitation to come to Haifa in 1919, where he spent over two months as his guest. During this period, the two discussed the manuscript of Baha'u'llah and the New Era and "several valuable suggestions" were made. In the 1923 edition, Esselmont included a number of statements by Abdu'l-Baha which he had personally heard and recorded. In spite of the value which these firsthand accounts contribute to our understanding of Abdu'l-Baha and the perceptions of early believers, some of them have been removed from later editions without any notation. For example, on page 123, Abdu'l-Baha advocated, in detail, a constitutional form of monarchy over a republican form of government as practiced in the United States. This was included in Esselmont's chapter titled "True Civilization," to illustrate the type of government which Baha'u'llah counseled nations to adopt until the next Manifestation of God appears. In later editions Esselmont's words have been replaced with nearly three pages of new material speaking merely of the fact that there will be different types of governments during the "Lesser Peace" and the "Most Great Peace." Although Abdu'l-Baha was quite specific, these later accretions are vague and give no clear illustration of what type of rule Baha'u'llah would have nations adopt.

Perhaps the most important change in Baha'u'llah and the New Era was made on page 212 of the 1923 edition. Recorded as a Baha'i prophecy concerning the "Coming of the Kingdom of God," Esselmont cited Abdu'l-Baha's interpretation of the last two verses of the Book of Daniel from the Bible. He stated that the 1335 days spoken of by Daniel represented 1335 solar years from Muhammad's flight to Medina in 622 A.D., which would equal 1957 A.D.. When asked "'What shall we see at the end of the 1335 days?'," Abdu'l-Baha's reply was: "'Universal Peace will be firmly established, a Universal language promoted. Misunderstandings will pass away. The Baha'i Cause will be promulgated in all parts and the oneness of mankind established. It will be most glorious!'" In editions published after his death, Esselmont's words have been changed to say that Abdu'l-Baha "reckoned the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy from the date of the beginning of the Muhammadan era " and one of Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets is quoted on the same subject in which he writes, "'For according to this calculation a century will have elapsed from the dawn of the Sun of Truth....'" Esselmont appears to conclude that Abdu'l-Baha was referring to the year 1963 and the one hundredth anniversary of Baha'u'llah's public claim to be a Manifestation of God. These words, however, were never written by the author, but were added posthumously. And, it should be noted that the phrase "'the dawn of the Sun of Truth'" is not a reference to a particular year, in this case 1863, but to a period of years when the Bab and his followers were preparing the way for the Manifestation of Baha'u'llah. Hence, they are commonly referred to as the "Dawn-Breakers."

Further, in another quotation which originally appeared on the same page, but was also removed from later editions, Abdu'l-Baha plainly stated, "' This is the Century of the Sun of Truth. This is the Century of the establishment of the Kingdom of God upon the earth.'" Esselmont recorded Abdu'l-Baha as declaring explicitly that the prophecy was to be computed from the Hijra or 622 A.D. and that specific conditions would exist in the world upon it's fulfillment in 1957. When it became apparent that this Baha'i prophecy would not be fulfilled, it was replaced with the ambiguous material which has remained in the text to the present. This is evident from the fact that, although Esselmont's other eyewitness accounts were removed in the 1937 revision, the record of Abdu'l-Baha's prophecy was left intact by the American National Spiritual Assembly and Shoghi Effendi. It was not changed until after 1957. Also, Abdu'l-Baha's conviction that all of these events would take place in this century have been expressed in other writings and it is evident that Shoghi Effendi shared his optimism as well.

Upon an examination of revisions in recent Baha'i literature, it seems that the institution of the Guardian of the Cause of God has been the subject of the most widespread bowdlerization of texts. The office of the Guardian was first established by Abdu'l-Baha in his Will and Testament. Shoghi Effendi, his eldest grandson, was named as the first in a succession of hereditary Guardians. The Guardian is the authoritative interpreter of the holy writings and the permanent head of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme administrative body which was referred to by Baha'u'llah in his Kitab-i-Aqdas. Through the Guardianship, the Cause of God is believed to be safeguarded from schism, because he is to be under the protection and infallible guidance of Baha'u'llah and the Bab. However, the Baha'i world was thrown into confusion when Shoghi Effendi died suddenly on November 4, 1957. He had left no Will or instructions, and he had named no successor. Since all of Baha'u'llah's living male descendents had been declared Covenant-breakers by Shoghi Effendi, the Hands of the Cause of God assumed authority over the entire Baha'i community. The Hands were a group of leading Baha'is who had been chosen in accordance with Abdu'l-Baha's Will and had been named "the Chief Stewards of Baha'u'llah's embryonic World Commonwealth" by Shoghi Effendi, shortly before his death. The Hands of the Cause moved the community in a direction which culminated in the election of the Universal House of Justice. This was accomplished with surprisingly little opposition or schism.

Changes in books written prior to 1957 indicate that the failure of what was to be a perpetual, divinely ordained and protected institution became a delicate subject with the Baha'i Administration. But, it should be pointed out that, although there have been numerous revisions, there are still books which have not been changed at all. So, there does not appear to be a conspiracy or systematic program to eradicate the notion of a continuous Guardianship. However, the books which have been substantially reworked are popular introductions and histories, often used for propagating the Faith.

1) E.G. Browne is appointed by the Universal House of Justice to be an enemy of the Baha'i Faith. 2) Covenant-breakers are those who have accepted Baha'u'llah as a Manifestation of God, but have later apostatized and opposed Baha'u'llah, his successors, or Baha'i institutions. Faithful members are instructed to shun entirely those who have rebelled against the Cause of God and, although not explicitly commanded, the reading of material written by Covenant-breakers is discouraged as well.