PASSING THE TEST !
Baha'u'llah tells us in the Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan):
"Do men think when they say `We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?" (Baha'u'llah, Iqan, pp. 8-9)
Thus the people are to be tested upon their beliefs in the Plan of God.
God never changes the way that He tests the people. His method remains ever the same: He sends them a promised One, whether it is a Supreme Manifestation of God like Jesus Christ or Baha'u'llah; or a lowly servant like the Bible describes of Gideon. All the Guardians of the Baha'i Faith are promised ones in the Lesser Covenant, as the Guardianship is promised by God to never end (both in the explicit Baha'i writings and in the Bible, such as Psalms 89 cited in the acceptance of Mason Remey by the Quincy Illinois Baha'is who passed the first test of their day and stated that the Guardianship should never end).
One of the problems of many of the people is that they are in the wrong mindset. Instead of being ardent seekers who wish to seek out for God's promised ones, they remain lackluster and only accept the status quo or are simply not interested in the deep search for the truth. Thus many Jews never really investigate Jesus; Christians do not think to look for Baha'u'llah, the second coming of Christ; and the majority of "Baha'is" are not interested in Mason Remey, until maybe later when they get into some sort of trouble with the mainstream Haifa sans-guardian politics of corruption and deceit.
Unfortunately, therefore, the majority of people trapped in this lethargy are simply not interested in the truth about the Guardianship or any Promised one from God, and say:
“If he is, it is HIS responsibility to offer the proof.”
This is completely contrary to the explanation in the Baha'i revelation on the fact that God tests the people. This is true to such an extent that the Bab declared of "Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest" that the people were not to question Him at all, but were to immediately accept him. Baha'u'llah lifted this stipulation of the Bab on Questioning in the Aqdas, which is available to be referred to.
It is the peoples responsibility, therefore, to turn to God, and guided by the Promised Ones, to become educated to know the criteria for recognition as given by God in the explicit text of the Ones who came before. Thus the Jews had Moses instructions through prophecy for the acceptance of Jesus; and the Christians have Jesus instruction through prophecy on how to recognize Baha'u'llah, as did the Babis and all the people. The criteria for 'Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi and Mason Remey, was also explicitly given but yet, also became a great test for the people, who wished to come out from under the Covenant for some reason of their own.
The same is exactly true within the Baha'i World today, as the criteria for recognition has been set down in the Baha'i Holy Writ, especially the provisions of the sacred Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha. Thus the Promised Ones and the guardians test the people. Some of these tests are conscious and deliberate, and others are simply a matter of course as ordained by God.
The purpose of these tests is not so that God should know where the people are at, but that the people should know where they are at. The tests benefits the person and their soul, as in passing the test the soul is LEARNING something new about itself its own station and receives its rays of the Holy Spirit as the reward and the goal that it seeks: reunion with God, the Beloved of All the Worlds.
This is the entire point of the Revelations of God, to spiritualize man through the receiving of the Holy Spirit (thus man becomes created in the spiritual image of God and takes on the qualities and attributes of God), which only comes to those who seek it out, fervently and ardently, and make the grade, and pass the test. Anyone and everyone with a pure heart and no ulterior motive that turns whole-heartedly to God will pass the test and be accepted. God never turns anyone away. Of the test Jesus explained:
"Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom [Davidic] of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. " (Mark 4: 10 KJV)
Here Jesus tells us that the message of the Revelation of God is given in such a way, style and manner, that the pure in heart will immediately accept it; while the same manner and style is given to deliberately exclude a certain type of person, not pure in heart, for the express purpose that they will not be "converted" and thus remain in their sins.
In this same way, Mason Remey was adopted and appointment in a manner and style contrary to what the majority of people wished and thus the majority rejected him, failed the test.
All those who have accepted Mason Remey and are loyal to the Guardianship continuing forever, and not ending, are praiseworthy in varying degrees. But as much as Christians may have passed the Test of Moses with sincerity in accepting Jesus, when it comes to their fundamentalist position on Baha'u'llah, they are sincerely wrong. This is due to indoctrination, for if they were to investigate the truth all would become believers in the truth of the thing—and only the matter of purity of heart would distinguish those who would accept it from those who would choose not to, for some inner reason of their own.
In order to help people to pass the various Tests, Dr. Jensen alerted the people. He wrote:
“It appears that the guardians of the Baha’i faith are trying to out-do each other in finding UNIQUE ways to appoint their successors. These are TESTS to TEST the believers to see if they really do believe.” (Dr. Leland Jensen, Selections. Vol. 1)
He explained:
“Shoghi Effendi also was a test. He was not a male blood-line descendant of Baha’u’llah, or of King David. His line was not to succeed him, so God didn’t give an heir. Therefore he appointed one who was of the line of David, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s adopted son to be his successor guardian. When he died God didn’t hesitate to remove all of the millions of the Baha’is that separated themselves from the guardian, and thus from Him; and when Mason died God didn’t hesitate to remove the rest of them who didn’t accept his son, from His sight except the two knights.”(Dr. Leland Jensen, An Open Epistle, Oct, Nov 1988. pg 2)
The Guardians test the people, and guard the faith, as God has it all set up in such a way that impure souls are kept out by their own volition, or pride or something else, while the aghsan Guardians continue and function as the point of unity in the Covenant for pure souls freely choosing to stay in.
He wrote:
“Mason explained to me that in the unique way that Shoghi Effendi appointed his successor the guardianship was tested. He said the believers would not be put through that test again. He said the next time they wouldn’t know who the guardian is for a while. This is through his unique way of appointing you. It seems that the guardians try to out-do each other in using unique ways in appointing their successors. For me I must be absolutely certain that the one that I support and give my allegiance is the true guardian. I must take no one’s word for this. I must see with my own eyes. Investigate with my own intellect and know with my own heart.
(Doc, Letter to Joseph Pepe July 19 1975, page 2)
Jealousy of others can often be main obstacle in winning our own stations therefore we all must teach the faith as given on page 10 of the sacred Will to win our own stations.
He pointed out:
“Take yourself for instance. To the best of my knowledge you have never brought anybody into the faith, and that is due to the fact that you never learned the proofs. Your problem is that by never taking the time to learn the proofs you never deepened enough into the faith to really comprehend my station and then like Satan you try to put yourself above the Promised One. Neal on the other hand mastered the proofs, recognized my station and has brought a number of people into the faith. Therefore he doesn’t have the problem you that you have. Thus he has gone forth and in cooperation with some his friends, has brought forth the most important thing in the Cause and that is THE GENEALOGY.” (Dr. Leland Jensen, An Open Epistle, Nov 1988. pg. 3)
He urged:
"Then we have the violation of Donald, and I hope you are able to rescue him. He bases his claim on a handwritten document appointing him the Third Guardian of the Baha’i Faith (not the second). Some deem his handwritten document should be given priority over your appointment, because it is hand written. But here again this is extra to the Will and Testament. No place in the Will of ‘Abdu’l-Baha does it state that the appointment must be in a handwritten document. All that it states is that he must appoint a successor during his lifetime. It leaves the manner and style up to the guardian. Shoghi Effendi appointed his successor in a cablegram, but the “Hands” deemed that the appointment had to
be in a Will. To add or subtract from the Will interpolates it; then it is no longer the document sent down by God:" (Dr. Leland Jensen to Pepe, The Most Mighty Document, page 25).
Therefore, God never changes the test, He send a promised one to the people, and all the Guardians are Promised Ones, thus this type of testing (a manner and style contrary to people's expectations) is continued down throughout every generation in the Baha'i Faith as an integral component of the Lesser Covenant of Baha'u'llah.
"All that it states [The Will] is that he must appoint a successor during his lifetime. It leaves the manner and style up to the guardian."
Once we find the Promised One, for our day and Age, our role in the Covenant (W&T, p. 10) however is to teach. Those who have been sincere and wrote to Mason directly, crossing over the shun order, that had been foisted upon them by the "Hands"; those who were open and asked sincere questions to aid them to their goal, received the truth from Mason himself and were given FACTS and ANSWERS.
These then, fulfilled the three things as given by 'Abdu'l-Baha in The Tablets of the Divine Plan, 1) teach the faith; 2) live the life and 3) firmness in the Covenant. They then received their rays of the Holy Spirit directly from Baha'u'llah El Abha, as "Apostles of Baha'u'llah" and became independent of all save God.
And so we all should teach to win our own stations (as given on age 10 of the Sacred Will), and fulfill these same Three Things, whether others have ears to hear and eyes to see, or not.
Passing the test is as easy as falling off a log.
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