History of the True Baha’i Faith in Australia (Bahais Under the Provision of Covenant)
The purpose of writing the History of The True Bahai Faith the BUPC of Australia is to educate the people to the point that if they are pure of heart they would be able to see through the TEST OF GOD using the intellect that God gave and the Independent Investigation of the Truth that Baha’u’llah gave them that God’s Covenant remains unbroken and intact just as God promised. That the Kingdom of God (Davidic) is firmly established upon the earth as it is in heaven and that the faithful joyfully enter therein!
THE FIRST AUSTRALASIAN BELIEVER
Margaret Stevenson, was the First Bahai in Australia and she became a Bahá’í during the lifetime of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, about 1912.
Margaret’s sister Lillias had attended ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s address to the congregation at St John’s, Westminster, London in 1911. When another discourse He had given, at City Temple, London, was printed in “The Christian Commonwealth” (March 27, 1911), Lillias sent a copy to Margaret. When a friend of Margaret’s sister named Dorothea Spinney visited Auckland in 1912, she stayed with Margaret and Lillias and talked to them about the Bahá’í cause and her meeting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The English-born couple, John Henry Hyde Dunn and his wife Clara arrived as pioneers in Australia from the United States in April 1920, in response to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets of the Divine Plan. [1] During John Hyde-Dunn’s holidays at the end of December 1922 and early January 1923, they visited New Zealand. Meetings were held in the home of Mrs. Sarah Blundell in Remuera, Auckland, and it was there that Margaret Stevenson met the Dunns, who were most surprised to meet another Bahá’í.
It was at Margaret Stevenson’s home that what Mrs. Dunn called “the first Bahá’í Feast” took place in January 1923, at which a flashlight photograph was taken which later appeared in the Bahá’í World.
After Mr Dunn returned to Australia, Clara Dunn stayed in New Zealand and formed a study group. Margaret Stevenson’s home was a venue for these classes for some 10 years. [2] According to one source, it was through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Dunn that the Cause in Auckland grew. [3]
Margaret Stevenson was a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly elected in 1934, and served the Cause with devotion until her passing in February 1941, the same year coincidentally that Hyde Dunn passed away.
EMILY AXFORD (1870-1949) Also at about this same time (1923), a friend of Sarah Blundell’s, Mrs. Emily Axford, a widowed mother of 3 children, accepted Bahá’u’lláh. [4] She had rejected conventional Christianity, and become attracted by the New England Transcendental Movement before becoming a Bahá’í. For many years, Emily conducted public speaking classes, to help the friends overcome their shyness so that they might teach the Faith more effectively.
FIRST AUSTRALASIAN PILGRIM GROUP
In late 1923 and early 1924, Martha Root gave lectures in Australia. Effie Baker [1880-1968], the first Australian woman to become a Bahá’í, after meeting the Dunns, attended a frail Martha on her lecture tour to New Zealand in September 1924. [5] During her hectic 12-day visit to Auckland, Martha managed to find the time to tell Sarah Blundell that Shoghi Effendi and the women of the household were eager to welcome the New Zealand friends. Sarah’s daughter Ethel responded by arranging to make a journey to the Holy Land to visit the Holy Family and the Shrines.
Learning of their planned visit to the Holy Land, at Martha’s suggestion Effie joined the group of pilgrims, having first sold her house in Australia. The party left from Melbourne for the Holy Land on 10 February 1925, and arrived there on March 13. [6]
The first Australasian pilgrim group consisted of New Zealanders Margaret Stevenson, Sarah Blundell (who would have been around 75 years old!), her daughter Ethel and her son Hugh (although he had not yet accepted the Faith) and Australian Effie Baker. [16] Margaret and the other pilgrims spent 19 days in Haifa, where they met with the Guardian, the Greatest Holy Leaf and other Bahá’ís at the world centre, including Corinne True. Then, at the Guardian’s suggestion, they all travelled on to England, where they spent 3 months meeting the English Bahá’í community.
GROWTH OF LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES IN AUSTRALASIA
The first Local Spiritual Assembly in Australia, that of Melbourne, had been found in 1923. [7] In New Zealand, it seems that the believers were erroneously calling themselves an Assembly as early as 1924. This was corrected with the receipt of a booklet on the subject, and the first properly constituted Assembly was formed on 21 April 1926, with Margaret Stevenson as its Secretary and Emily Axford as Chairman. [8]
The first Spiritual Assembly of Adelaide was formed in 1930, followed by that of Sydney in 1932.
FORMATION OF NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
According to ‘Some Bahá’ís to Remember’, in 1932 Mother Dunn had brought back the news from her pilgrimage that the Guardian was anxious for the believers to form a National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand as soon as possible. “On receiving this information, the Sydney Assembly began to correspond with the other Spiritual Assemblies of Australia and New Zealand for the purpose of fulfilling the Guardian’s request. As a result, these Assemblies made a joint resolution to spare no pains in their efforts to hold a National Convention during May 1934.”[9]
The National Convention
The National Convention was held in Sydney at the Bahá’í Room, 114 Hunter Street, from May 15 to 18. The Convention report notes that “the New Zealand delegates were the first to arrive, and a special meeting of welcome was arranged at which a happy time was spent in contacting the Sydney friends.”[10] Of the 9 delegates, 3 were from New Zealand: Emily Axford, Margaret Stevenson and Ethel Blundell (from Auckland). There were also 3 delegates each from Adelaide and Sydney. [11] The Melbourne Assembly appears to have lapsed.
At the Convention, Mrs. Dunn spoke of the formation of a national body for this continent as “a necessary link in the formation of an International House of Justice. She looked upon it as a privilege and a responsibility laid upon Bahá’ís as instruments to assist the Guardian in his work of establishing the institutions necessary for the formation of the New World Order”. [12]
The National Spiritual Assembly was elected on Wednesday, May 16. Two of its members were from New Zealand: Ethel Blundell and Margaret Stevenson. In addition to the first New Zealand believer, Margaret Stevenson, the National Assembly also included the first Australian believer, Mr. Whittaker.
The following telegram was received from Shoghi Effendi and read to the Convention on Thursday, May 17: “Inexpressibly gladdened celebration first historic Convention. Assure delegates abounding gratitude, fervent prayers, deepest love – Shoghi.”[13]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand was the eighth oldest National Spiritual Assembly in the Bahá’í world. [14]
The Guardian continued to encourage and support the newly formed National Spiritual Assembly. For example, in a letter dated April 24, 1935, his secretary noted Shoghi Effendi’s “deep satisfaction” at the “steady progress” it was making: “Your Assembly has, indeed, truly vindicated its ability and power to function as a well-organized and united body, and this in the face of manifold difficulties which the all-conquering spirit of the Faith could alone overcome.”[15]
The Guardian (in 1936) also urged the National Spiritual Assembly to take the necessary steps for its incorporation, a step he felt would give it “more stability and an added influence, especially in the eyes of the general public.” This step occurred in January 1938. [16]
The second National Convention did not take place until 1937, while in the two intervening years, delegates were elected and voted by postal ballot. [17] one hundred delegates and observers attending the national Baháʼí convention in Sydney.
In 1939, plans to hold the National Convention in Melbourne – with the view of “encouraging and guiding the friends to re-organise their activities, and also in order to stimulate the progress of the teaching work in that centre”[18] – were rescinded so that all activities could centre on Martha Root’s return visit to Australia and New Zealand. The same three members from New Zealand were re-elected by postal ballot to the National Spiritual Assembly.
In February 1939, in connection with Martha Root’s arrival, the Guardian wrote:
“The community of the believers in Australia and New Zealand is making remarkable progress in every phase of its activities, and deserves the highest praise in its magnificent and incessant labours. I am proud of the quality of its faith and the range of its achievements.”[19]
The Great Violation
Then, tragedy stuck when Shoghi Effendi was treacherously murdered in London of the UK, buy his “grieving widow” and she – Ruhiyyih Khanum and the “Hands” immediately began to dismantle the UHJ that Shoghi Effendi set up in 1951 with ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s aghasan-son as its president. Then then “sized” the reigns of the Faith, turning it into an oppressive organized religion, even though you cannot organize spirituality.
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s adopted son returned to his homeland of the United States in 1960 and the true UHJ has been established there in the RRocky Mountainsof the United Sates ever since, at the exact prophesied location indicated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha himself during his 239-day journey to the United States in 1912.
The whole of the Bahai Faith was affected by great violation carried out by the Widow of Shoghi Effendi, Mrs. Ruhiyyih Khanum and 26 Hands of cause who all became covenant breakers. Those who failed to recognize Mr. Mason Remy the adopted son of Abdul Baha as the True Guardian of the Bahai Faith.
The Baha’i Faith is a divine and independent revelation of God revealed through Baha’u’llah. The main mission of the Baha’i Faith is the unity of the human race and to establish peace and justice in the world. This can only be done through individual people investigating the truth with their own mind to arrive at common understanding. There are many Baha’i sects in the world today. One of the sects is those who have their headquarters in Haifa, Israel, and who mistakenly believe that the throne-line of King David, which functions as the hereditary sign to recognize the true Universal House of Justice of Baha’u’llah, came to an end in 1957 after the death of the first guardian Shoghi Effendi. The Baha’is who remained under the Provisions of the Covenant are those free people that understood that there is still a living Davidic King who is the executive branch, president head of the true Universal House of Justice which exists in its initial stage in America as the second International Baha’i Council. The Baha’is under the Provision of the Covenant believe that Baha’u’llah was a descendant of King David. In Psalms 89 God promises King David that his descendants would rule on his throne forever.
The Baha’is under the Provision of the Covenant believe that this prophecy was fulfilled by the coming of Baha’u’llah and his everlasting covenant that his descendants are to rule after him as the presidents of the Universal House of Justice. This is the spiritual government of the Kingdom of God on earth. When all of mankind recognizes this true spiritual government wars will end and peace will be established. The president of this council today is the great great grandson of Baha’u’llah, Neal Chase Ben Joseph Aghsan.
In the Covenant of Baha’u’llah entitled the Kitab-i-Ahd, Baha’ullah, that fulfills prophecy for the second coming of Christ in the potency of the “everlasting Father”, who is the same foretold Individual as the return of Krishna, and the great AmitAbha (Amida) Buddha, provided for ONLY TWO INDIVIDUAL successors and then the Universal House of Justice (UHJ). These two successors were fulfilled in ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the Center of the Covenant; and Shoghi Effendi the Center of the Cause. In his Will and Testament (which is the CHARTER of the Kingdom — World Order of Baha’u’llah, page 144) ‘Abdu’l-Baha delineates his Fathers UHJ making the Davidic Kingship of the throne-line of king David (entitled aghsan, literally means branch — see Zech. 3:8 KJV) the permanent and irremovable member for life so that we can recognized the true UHJ of Baha’u’llah from fakes frauds and imitations. Shoghi Effendi further in his January 9 Cablegram, the constitution for the UHJ, set up this true UHJ of Baha’u’llah on January 9, 1951 with ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s aghsan-son as its first president that Shoghi Effendi himself welcomed to the Council of the IBC/UHJ on March 2, 1951.
‘Abdu’l-Baha Adopts Mason Remey as His Aghsan Son
‘Abdu’l-Baha to his only son Mason Remey:
“I have adopted you as my son [Persian: aghsan]. You have to appreciate this favor very much indeed. One should see that you are living according to the requirements of this sonship. You should be aware of your responsibilities. My prayers will help you. I always pray for you. ”
(‘Abdu’l-Baha to Mason Remey, cf. “The Diaries of Mason Remey”, Folio 2, “A Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Reminisces of the Master, 1921”, pp. 127-129. New York Public Library Collection)
Shoghi Effendi Recognized Mason as Aghsan: ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s “Dear Son”
Upheld by Shoghi Effendi “to go against him is to go against God” (W&T, p. 11):
“Coagulated drops of Baha’u’llah’s all-Sacred Blood and Ringlets of His Most Blessed Locks Presented as my most precious possession to ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s ‘dear son’ Mr. Charles Mason Remey”
(signed) Shoghi March 1922”
PASSING THE TEST OF GOD
He is God!
O God, my God! These are servants attracted in Thy days by the fragrances of Thy holiness, enkindled with the flame burning in Thy holy tree, responding to Thy voice, uttering Thy praise, awakened by Thy breeze, stirred by Thy sweet savors, beholding Thy signs, understanding Thy verses, hearkening to Thy words, believing Thy Revelation and assured of Thy loving-kindness. Their eyes, O Lord, are fixed upon Thy kingdom of effulgent glory and their faces turned toward Thy dominion on high, their hearts beating with the love of Thy radiant and glorious beauty, their souls consumed with the flame of Thy love, O Lord of this world and the world hereafter, their lives seething with the ardor of their longing for Thee, and their tears poured forth for Thy sake.
Shield them within the stronghold of Thy protection and safety, preserve them in Thy watchful care, look upon them with the eyes of Thy providence and mercy, make them the signs of Thy divine unity that are manifest throughout all regions, the standards of Thy might that wave above Thy mansions of grandeur, the shining lamps that burn with the oil of Thy wisdom in the globes of Thy guidance, the birds of the garden of Thy knowledge that warble upon the topmost boughs in Thy sheltering paradise, and the leviathans of the ocean of Thy bounty that plunge by Thy supreme mercy in the fathomless deeps.
O Lord, my God! Lowly are these servants of Thine, exalt them in Thy kingdom on high; feeble, strengthen them by Thy supreme power; abased, bestow upon them Thy glory in Thine all-highest realm; poor, enrich them in Thy great dominion. Do Thou then ordain for them all the good Thou hast destined in Thy worlds, visible and invisible, prosper them in this world below, gladden their hearts with Thine inspiration, O Lord of all beings! Illumine their hearts with Thy joyful tidings diffused from Thine all-glorious Station, make firm their steps in Thy Most Great Covenant and strengthen their loins in Thy firm Testament, by Thy bounty and promised grace, O Gracious and Merciful One! Thou art, verily, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful.
The Australians Bahais are setting for themselves the Right Path by following BUPC Faith.
The Headless Universal House of Justice was not a teaching of Baha’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, or Shoghi Effendi. It was foisted on the Baha’is by Ruhiyyih Khanum and the Conclave of the Hands with the passing of Shoghi Effendi. The inquisition of the “Hands” Baha’i faith is notorious for its severities in its prophesied oppression of the believers forbidding them from independently investigating the truth of the material of their violation of the Covenant, with the ploy, or red herring, by naming those that are faithful to the Covenant as Covenant-breakers, and thus having them shunned. By this manoeuvre they keep their deluded followers from using their intellect that God gave them and the principle of the “Independent Investigation of the Truth” that Baha’u’llah gave them, so to keep them ignorant Covenant-breakers, and from establishing Justice in the world.
In order to have Justice in the world we must have the Universal House of Justice of Baha’u’llah as found in His Covenant, and as defined by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in his Will and Testament, which consists of the executive head and the legislative body. “The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself” (Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, page 15). Anything else other than this is manmade and not Baha’u’llah’s Universal House of Justice, and will not bring peace, or justice to the world. The Covenant-breakers did away with the executive head, replacing it with a headless monster on Mt. Carmel, and oppress their deluded followers from coming under the true House of Justice that has both the executive branch, or head, and legislative body. The true Baha’is are those that climb over this wall of oppression, and see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears and not through those of their oppressors. This test came upon the believers for they themselves to see if they were firm in the Covenant or were just going with the crowd.
With the formations of two pillars and with the active Guidance of International Baha’i Council and Prayers of Beloved Guardian Mr. Neal Chase, the day is not far that each and every followers of Baha’u’llah will join hands in letting the Guardian establish the True Faith of Baha’u’llah and the descendant of King David occupying his rightful place at the Baha’i World centre and establishing the New World Order of Baha’u’llah.
References.
[1] O.Z. Whitehead, Some Bahá’ís to Remember, George Ronald 1983, p.158
[2] Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand, Bahá’í Publishing Trust Suva 1982, p.93
[3] Emily Axford, Bahá’í World Compendium, op cit, p.560.
[4] Arohanui, op cit, pp.98-99
[5] The Bahá’í World 1963-1968, The Universal House of Justice 1974, p.320 (Effie Baker’s In Memoriam article)
[6 ] ibid
[7 ] Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand 1923-1957, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia 1971, p.vii.
[8 ] Arohanui, op cit, pp.93-94, p.99
[9 ] Whitehead, op cit, p.165
[10] Report of the First Convention of the Bahá’ís of Australia and New Zealand held in Sydney, May 1934 (supplied by Joan Camrass)
[11] ibid
[12] ibid
[13] ibid
[14] The Bahá’í World 1954-1963, The Universal House of Justice 1970, p.305. Previous National Spiritual Assemblies to form were: the British Isles (1923), Germany and Austria (1923), India and Burma (1923), the United States and Canada (1925), Egypt and Sudan (1924), and Iraq (1931). The National Spiritual Assembly of Persia also formed in 1934. (Eunice Braun, From Strength to Strength, Bahá’í Publishing Trust India 1978, p.7).
[15] Letters, op cit, pp.7-8
[16] Bahá’í World Compendium, op cit, p.160
[17] From information supplied by Joan Camrass
[18] Shoghi Effendi, Letters, op cit, p.27
[19] Letters, op cit, p.31