The Baha'i Cause Today
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: William McElwee Miller, The Baha'i Cause Today, bahai-library.com.
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THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY

One hot summer day in the year 1921 I was crossing a vacant
lot in one of the villages of Sistan in Eastern Iran. Turning about,
I saw an old man following me, and when he caught up to me
he came close and whispered in my ear, “Aren’t you a Bahai?”
“Why do you ask that question?’ I asked. “You are an American,
aren’t you?’ he said. “Yes”, I replied, “I am an American”. “Then
you milst be a Bahai”, he answered, “for are not all Americans
Bahais?” “No”, I said, “most Americans are not Bahais. I have
heard that there are Bahais in America, but as yet I have never
seen one”. The old man looked at me in surprise and disappoint-
ment, and walked away.
How many times that question has been asked me in Iran!
Somehow the impressiop has been left in the minds of Iranian
Bahais that the number of their co-religionists in America is very
great, and I fear that more than once my veracity has been
doubted when I have explained that most people in America have
never even heard the name of Baha’ullah.
However, there are a number of centers in America where
Bahais have been conducting meetings and working for their cause
for a number of years, and it sometimes happens that people who
come in touch with them wish to know more about the movement.
The Bahais have done considerable writing, and their literature is
available and should be studied by all who are interested. But the
books and articles written on the subject by non-Bahais are for
the most part out of print. It is to meet the need of those who
wish to consider the movement from a different point of view that
this article is being written, at the request of the editors of THE
MOSLEM WORLD.
1. Summary of the History of the Movement.
I t is impossible to understand the Bahai Movement, or to evaluate
it, without a clear understanding of its history. Unfortunately,
numerous conflicting accounts have been given of its origin, and
it is not always easy to distinguish history from fiction or forgery.
However, two distinguished European scholars visited Persia not
long after the movement began, and published the results of their
380                 THE MOSLEM WORLD
careful investigations in this field. Their works provide the
material for a true understanding of the origins of Bahaism. Conte
de Gobineau, the brilliant secretary of the French Legation in
Persia, was in Teheran from 1855 to 1858, arriving only five years
after the death of the Bab, and his book, Les Religions et les
Philosophies dans PAsie Centrde, which is largely devoted to a
study of the religion of the Bab, is a source of primary importance.
It was through reading this book that Dr. E. G. Browne of
Cambridge University became interested in the Babi movement. As
a result, he came to Persia in 1887, and spent a year in travel
and in intimate association with the Bahais of that land. In 1893
he published his large book, A Year Amotrgst the Persians, and at
about the same time he published a number of scholarly articles
on Bahaism in the Journal of the Royal AJiatic Society. He later
translated and published several important books on the same subject.
For everyone who wishes to understand Bahaism, a careful study
of the writings of these two impartial scholars is indispensable.
The outline of the history of Bahaism, as I give it in this article,
is largely drawn from these sources. A fuller account will be
found in my book Buhu’imr (Revell, 1931) and in The Religion of
the Baha’is, by J. R. Richards (S.P.C.K., London, 1932).
The Appearunce of tk Bab.
The people of Persia, for the most part, belong to the Shiite
sect of Islam. They believe that Mohammed, the Prophet of Islam,
(died A.D. 632) was succeeded not by the Caliphs, as the majority
of Moslems believe, but by his own descendants. The generally
accepted Shiite belief is that the Prophet was followed by a line of
twelve men called Imams, the first of whom ‘was Ali, the son-in-law
of Mohammed, and the last another Mohammed, who disappeared
from the view of men in A.D. 837. This twelfth Imam did not
die. but is still alive somewhere, and will return at the end of
the world to fight against all unbelievers and make the whole world
Mohammedan. When he comes, every true Moslem will take his
sword and go forth after him to battle. As the end of the thousand
years which followed his disappearance drew near, there was a
strong expectation in Persia that the Hidden Imam was soon to
appear. So when a young man of Shiraz, mamed Ali Mohammed,
himself a descendant of Mohammed, on May 23, 1844, made the
claim that he was the Gate (Bab) to the Knowledge of the Hidden
Imam, there were many ready to acclaim him ; and when his apostles
began to proclaim him as the Hidden Imam himself, eager disciples
took up their swords and assembled for the long-expected battle.
Now at last the Imam would be seated on the throne of Persia and
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                             381

would establish a church-state which would finally embrace the
whole world, over which the Divine King would rule!
Naturally, the government of Persia was much disturbed by
these developments, and when the Babis (as the followers of Ali
Mohammed were called) gathered in force in Mazanderan, the
armies of the Shah went out against them and defeated them.
Much ‘blood was shed, not only in Mazanderan, but also in Zenjan
and other places in Persia. Most of the “twenty thousand martyrs”,
of whom the Bahais speak, lost their lives in this war, and they
were not really Bahais but Babis. Many thousands of Moslems
also were slain. In order to put an end to these uprisings the
government decided to execute the Bab, who had been kept a
prisoner for some time, and so, on July 8, 1850, he was shot in the
city of Tabriz. By his patience and gentleness he won friends for
himself, and although it was his claims which caused the Babi
uprisings, it is not fair to hold him personally responsible for all
that his followers did in his name. It was the opinion of
Dr. Cormick, the English physician who attended him, and of other
doctors also that his mind was unbalanced.
The Teachings of the Bub
The distinctive teaching of the Bab was that God, who is un-
knowable, has sent into the world a series of Manifestations, or
Prophets, each one of whom brought a law for the government of
mankind which took the place of the law that preceded it, and pre-
dicted the coming of another Manifestation who would be more
perfect than those who came before. These Prophets were more
than men, for they possessed the divine attributes, and rightly called
themselves God. Only through them could God be known.
The first Manifestation was Adam ; later Abraham, Moses,,Jesus
and Mohammed appeared, and now the Bab has come, the greatest
Manifestation of all. The Bab thought Adam had lived 12,210 years
before him, and suggested that Manifestations appeared once in a
thousand years. He likens them to a boy, who as Adam was a
mere embryo, as Jesus was ten years old, as Mohammed was eleven,
and as himself was twelve. He predicted the coming of the next
Manifestation, “He whom God shall manifest’: likening him to
a boy of fourteen, thus hinting that he would appear after two
thousand years. The Bab considered himself the “forerunner” of
the next Manifestation only as Mohammed had been his fore-
runner. He anticipated the time when his laws, both civil and
religious, would be supreme in Persia, and no one who refused
to accept him would be permitted to remain in that land. His
Buyun (the name given to the voluminous writings of the Bab)
was the Bible of mankind for this age, as the Gospel and the
382                 THE MOSLEM WORLD
Koran had been before it, and the Babi religion would become the
dominant religion of the world.
The Rule of Subh-GAzal
When the Bab was executed, the headship of the Babi movement
passed to Mirza Yahya, known as Subh-i-Azal, who had been nomi-
nated by the Bab as his successor (Nuqtatu’l-Kuf, p. 250; New
History, p. 413) and for ten years he was the undisputed leader
of the Babis. So highly was he regarded by the Babis that some
of them thought Mirza Yahya was “He whom God shall mani-
fest”, of whom the Bab had spoken. For two years after the Bab’s
death Mirza Yahya remained in Persia with his followers, but in
1852, as the result of an attempt on the life of the Shah by
several Babis, persecution broke out in Teheran. Twenty-eight Babis
were executed, and Mirza Yahya Aed with a number of Babis to
Baghdad, which was outside Persia, in Turkish territory, and this
became the headquarters of the sect.
A few months after Mirza Yahya’s arrival, he was joined by his
half-brother Baha (Baha’ullah), who also had been a zealous fol-
lower of the Bab, and had been imprisoned in Teheran for four
months after the attempt on the Shah’s life. From 1852 till 1863
Subh-i-Azal was looked upon by all Babis as their Supreme Head,
but being a peace-loving soul, caring little for authority, he retired
into almost complete seclusion, “leaving the direction of affairs in
the hands of his half-brother Baha, a man of much more resolute
and ambitious character, who thus gradually became the most
prominent figure and the moving spirit of the sect.” Outwardly
Baha was subordinate to his brother, as is clearly seen in the Iqan,
which was written by him during this period, but he was secretly
preparing to advance the claim to be “He whom God shall manifest”.
The Babis in Baghdad became so active that the Persiah govern-
ment, fearing a repetition of what had happened in Mazanderan
and Zenjan, asked the Turkish government to send them back to
Persia, where they could be controlled, or else remove them to a
more distant spot. The Turkish government was glad to comply,
for the quarrels and fightings of Babis and Moslems in Baghdad
had caused great trouble, and so it came to pass that Baha’ullah and
Subh-i-Azal and their families and followers were deported, first
to Constantinople and then to Adrianople, where they remained from
1863 to 1868.
The Appearance of Bahu’ullah
It was during this period that Baha definitely put forward his
claim to be the new Manifestation predicted by the Bab. There
was nothing to prevent Baha from claiming this exalted station, for
the Bab had said that no one could falsely make this claim, and
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                             383
had commanded Subh-i-Azal to acknowledge the new Manifestation,
should he appear in his time, and to abrogate the Bayan to make
way for the new law.
And what did the Babis do about this claim of Baha’s? “Amongst
the Babis”, writes Dr. Browne, “the effect of this announcement
[of Baha’s] was little short of stupendous. From Constantinople
to Kirman and from Cairo to Khurasan the communities of the
faithful were rent asunder by a schism which every subsequent year
but rendered wider and more permanent. . . , . At Adrianople
itself the struggle was short and the triumph of Baha complete.
. . . . Elsewhere, though active and astute emissaries were at
once dispatched in all directions by Baha, the conflict. . . . . was
longer maintained. For the question at issue was . . . . whether
the doctrine and writings of the beloved Master [the Bab], for
which his followers had been willing to suffer death or exile, were
t o be regarded as abrogated and cancelled in favor of a new revela-
tion ; whether his chosen viceregent [Subh-i-Azal] , whom they had
so long regarded as their Supreme Pontiff and as the incarnation of
all purity, virtue and heavenly wisdom, was to be cast down from
this high position. . . . . Babis who remember that time cannot
easily be induced to speak of it.”
Though the majority of the Babis finally accepted Baha, Subh-i-
Azal steadily refused to do so, saying that it was unreasonable that
God should have sent a major Manifestation, such as the Bab,
for only twenty-two years. The refusal of Subh-i-Azal to accept
his brother Baha’ullah was very embarrassing to the followers of
the latter, who were called Bahais. For Subh-i-Azal, having been
appointed by the Bab himself, should have been the first to recognize
the new Manifestation. What was to be done about it? The Bahais,
with or without the approval of their new leader, did two things.
First, they got rid of a number of the chief disciples of Subh-i-Azal,
at least twenty of whom, according to Dr. Browne, were murdered
by the followers of Baha’ullah. (Traveller‘s Narrative, pp. 370-
372), and an attempt was made on the life of Subh-i-Azal him-
self. Second, the Bahais destroyed as far as possible the books
which might be used to disprove the claims of Baha’ullah, such
as the history of the Babi movement written by Mirza Jani, a
devoted disciple of the Bab, who died as a martyr to the Babi cause
in Teheran in 1852. This book, known as Nuqtatu’l-Kaf, disappeared
from Persia, but was discovered in Paris by Dr. Browne, and was
translated in part and published by him. The Bahais today do not
include the Nuqtatu’l-Kaf in their bibliographies, though it is one
of the most important sources for a study of Babi history. Thus,
by getting rid of the people who opposed and the books which
384                 THE MOSLEM WORLD
disproved the claims of Baha’ullah, the Bahais were able to rewrite
the history of their cause to suit their own purpose, as Dr,Browne
has so clearly demonstrated, and in modern Bahai histories, such as
The Dawn-Breakers, Subh-i-Azal is entirely ignored, and Baha’ullah
is represented as the immediate successor to the Bab.
As a result of this bitter quarrel which occurred among the
Babis in Adrianople the Turkish government found it necessary to
separate the two rival factions. Hence in 1868 Subh-i-Azal and his
followers were sent to the Island of Cyprus, and Baha’ullah and
his party to Acre on the coast of Syria. The Azalis were in the
minority, and have almost disappeared, though a few are still to
be found in Persia. The Bahais carried on an active propaganda
in Persia and won over most of the Babis to their party. Baha’ullah
and his followers were kept in prison for a time, and suffered much
from hunger and sickness, but after two years they were allowed
to move to a house in the town of Acre, and there they lived for
nine years in comparative comfort.
During this period Baha’ullah was busily engaged in developing
his new religion. “His chief aim”, writes Dr. Browne, “seems
to have been to introduce a more settled order, to discourage specula-
tion, to direct the attention of his followers to practical reforms
.   . . . , to exalt ethics at the expense of metaphysics, to check
mysticism, to conciliate existing authorities, including even the Shah
of Persia . . . . , to abolish useless, unpractical and irksome
regulations and restrictions, and, in general, to adapt the religion
at the head of which he now found himself to the ordinary exigencies
of life, and to render it more capable of becoming, what he intended
to make it, a universal system suitable to all mankind.” He wrote
epistles to various rulers, including the Czar of Russia, the Pope,
Queen Victoria, and others, bidding them acknowledge him and
obey his laws. And he received many pilgrims who came from
Persia to visit him and bring him gifts.
In 1877 Baha’ullah rented a palace outside Acre, and from that
time until his death in 1892 he lived peacefully in the midst of his
family and friends. Here Dr. Browne saw him in 1890.
The Teachings of Baho’ullah
Baha’ullah, like the Bab, was a prolific writer. Many of his
writings have been translated into English and French and can
be found in Bahai Scriptzlres and other Bahai publications.
Baha’ullah’s teachings resemble in some respects those of the Bab.
God is unknowable, except in his Manifestations. As Mohammed
succeeded Jesus, and the Bab Mohammed, so Baha’ullah has come
to succeed the Bab and perfect his work. He will found a Church-
State which will become dominant in the world, and this will be
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                             385
done, not by the sword, a s h the Babi fashion, but by peaceful means.
The laws for the government of this Empire were written in the
Kitub-dAqdas (“Most Holy Book”), a summary of which is found
in my book Bahaism (pp. 110-121). Some of the most important
of these laws are the following:
Private worship is to be performed three times a day, while
the worshipper faces Acre. Worship is to consist of nine prostra-
tions, but on a journey one is sufficient. One month of the year
(nineteen days) is to be devoted to fasting, and from sunrise to
sunset food and drink and sexual intercourse are prohibited. Each
day every believer should wash his hands, then his face, and having
seated himself facing Allah [Acre ?] should say ninety-five times,
“Allah is the Most Splendid!” All male believers who are able
must make the pilgrimage to the Hovse [of the Bab in Shiraz],
but women are excused. All Bahais must be engaged in some
useful occupation. Austerities and ascetic practices are forbidden.
Shaving the head [as the Mohammedans did] is forbidden. Men’s
hair must not fall below the ears.
The thief is to be imprisoned for the first and second offence,
and for the third he is to be branded on the forehead. “Do not
let pity restrain you.” If a man and woman commit adultery they
must each pay nine misqals of gold [about $201 to the House of
Justice, and for a second offense the fine is to be doubled.
The use of gold and silver plate and ornaments is not forbidden
[as in Islam], and knives and forks are to be used in eating instead
of the fingers. Every father must educate his sons and daughters.
Listening to music is lawful.
If a man purposely burns down a house, he must be burned to
death. Marriage is obligatory for all. “Beware of taking more
than two women, and he who is satisfied with one handmaid will
enjoy peace himself, and so will she.” Traffic in slaves is forbidden.
Cleanliness is enjoined. The prayers of people with dirty clothes
will not ascend to God. The nails must be cut, and a weekly bath
must be taken. The feet must be washed daily in summer, and
every three days in winter. The use of perfumes is enjoined, for
God likes this. The books of people of other religions may be
read. Believers who possess more than a hundred misqds of gold
[$225] must give nineteen per cent. of their property [to Baha],
that the remainder may become lawful to them.
Believers must speak kindly to those who speak roughly to them.
Gambling and opium are forbidden. Beasts are not to be overloaded.
If one kills a man accidentally he must pay one hundred misqds of
gold as compensation to the relatives of the deceased.
Such is the character of the perfect law by which the world
3%                  T H E MOSLEM WORLD

is to be ruled for a ,thousand years, and in obeying which man will
be saved.
Shortly before his death Baha’ullah sent to Dr. Browne a little
manuscript which contained a compendium of his principal teachings.
These were in brief as follows:
1. The abolition of religious war as practiced by the Moslems
and Babis.
2. Permission to all sects and peoples to unite in friendly
intercourse.
3. Permission to study foreign languages, and the choice of
one language and one character for all mankind.
4. Bahais are to give loyal support to any King who protects
them.
5. Bahais are to submit to the laws and customs of the land in
which they live.
6. Promise of the “Most Great Peace”.
7. All men may follow their own taste in dress and wearing
of the hair.
8. Christian priests must abandon their seclusion and engage
in useful service. They are permitted to marry.
9. Sins are not to be confessed to men, but to God.
10. The Bab’s command to destroy all books of science and
philosophy is abrogated.
11. The study of useful arts and sciences is encouraged.
12. All men must learn and practise some craft, trade or pro-
f ession.
13. The settlement of differences, the apportionment of alms,
and the ordering of the affairs of the commonwealth general-
ly, are entrusted to the “House of Justice”.
14. Pilgrimages to the tombs of saints and martyrs as com-
manded by the Bab are no longer obligatory.
15. The best form of government is a combination of a republic
and a monarchy.
Through his reading of books and newspapers published in Syria,
and his intercourse with men, Baha’ullah kept in close touch with
the movements of his day, and was a keen observer of events. His
outlook was far broader and more modern than was that of the
Bab. Yet there is little in his teachings that is original, most of
the Bahai doctrines being derived from the Moslem sects in Persia,
from the Bible, or from contemporary Western thought.
The Rule and Teachinp of Abdul-Bahu
In spite of the fact that Baha‘ullah in his last Will and Testa-
ment besought his followers not to quarrel over the succession after
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                             387

his death, no sooner had the Manifestation died than bitter strife
broke out among his sons. Abdul-Baha, who had been appointed
by his father the leader of the movement, began to make claims for
himself, which to many Bahais seemed blasphemous. Baha’ullah
had said that no new Manifestation would appear for a thousand
years, thus preventing anyone from doing to his Rule what he had
done to that of the Bab. So Abdul-Baha never made that claim.
But he so associated himself ‘with his father that he led the Bnhais
to give him the same honor which they gave the Manifestation, and
today the words of Abdul-Baha are included in the Bahai Scriptures
on perfect equality with the words of Baha’ullah. Moreover, Abdul-
Baha claimed to be the sole interpreter of his father’s teachings.
The opposition to these claims was fierce, and the strife lasted
for several years, but at length the party of Abdul-Baha won the
day. Not content with having the allegiance of the Bahais of the
East, Abdul-Baha in 1893 sent a missionary, Dr. Khayrullah, to
America, and converts were won in Chicago. Later, Dr. Khayrullah
broke with Abdul-Baha, and led away with him several hundred
of the American Bahais, and the quarrel begun in Acre was repeated
in this country. Strife in the Bahai community led the Turkish
government once more to confine Abdul-Baha to Acre, after he had
been free for twenty years to travel about Syria. This confinement
lasted for seven years, and was terminated by the Turkish Revolu-
tion in 1908. During this time he received many visitors, both from
the East and from the West.
In 1911, Abdul-Baha left Syria for a tour of Europe and
America. R e spent seven months in America, giving many ad-
dresses and talking with inquirers. While in Chicago he dedicated
the grounds f6; the Temple now nearing completion at Wilmette.
In his teaching he continued to carry out the liberalizing tendencies
which we have noted in the teachings of Baha’ullah. In an address
given in England in 1913 he enumerated ten of the principles of
Baha’ullah, and it is instructive to compare this list with that given
by Baha’ullah himself to Dr. Browne (see above). The list is as
follows :
1. The independent investigation of truth.
2. The oneness of the human race.
3. International Peace.
4. The conformity of religion to science and reason.
5. Religious, racial, political, and patriotic prejudices must
be banished.
6. The equality of men and women.
7. All classes of society are to work together in love and
harmony.
388                 THE MOSLEM WORLD

8. “The Parliament of Man” as a court of last appeal in
international questions.
9. Universal education.
10. A universal language.
Abdul-Baha told the Christians of the West that the Bahai
movement includes all, and said that all differences must be put
aside, and all mankind are to realize their oneness in Baha’ullah.
He did not ask that Christians give up their Christian faith or
church membership, but said, “Whoever acts completely in accordance
with the teachings of Christ is a Bahai”. Yet he demanded full
obedience to himself. “All must obey Him [Abdul-Baha] ; All
must turn to Him   .. . . Whatsoever he says is true”. “Beware!
Beware!” he said to the Bahais of Chicago, “lest anyone declare
his own ideas”. World unity is to be achieved by complete sub-
mission on the part of all men to the word and will of this one man.
The Rule of Shoghi Efendi
When Abdul-Baha died in 1921 he was succeeded by his grand-
son Shoghi Efendi, who is called the Guardian of the Cause.
Abdul-Baha named him in his Will as his successor, and charged
all the Bahais to accept and obey him. “All must be under his
shadow and obey his command. Should any .         ...     disobey and
seek division, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon
him.” “To none is given the right to put forth his own opinion
or express his particular convictions. All must seek guidance and
turn unto the Center of the Cause and the House of Justice.” The
universql House of Justice has not been established, but when it
is established it will be entirely under the control of the Guardian,
for Abdul-’I3aha provided that “should any of the members [of the
House of Justice] commit a sin, injurious to the common weal,
the Guardian of the Cause hath at his own discretion the right to
expel him”. Hence, whenever the Bahai cause prevails and this
system is established throughout the world, as its followers ardently
desire, Shoghi Efendi (or his successor) will “find himself in
possession of an authority which the popes and emperors have never
aspired to, even in their wildest dreams. For the authority of the
Guardian of the Cause is not confined to spiritual matters. He is
to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords and the President
of presidents, as well as the Pope of the popes of the earth. ‘All
must be under his shadow and obey his command’. In politics, in
economics, in international problems, in religion, in everything he
is the final authority, and his word is absolute law.” Here is
totalitarianism in its perfection! W e can be thankful that the Babis
laid aside their swords, and that now the Bahai campaign for world
conquest is a peaceful one.
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                              389
For the last two decades Shoghi Efendi has been directing the
affairs of his Cause from his home on Mount Carmel in Palestine.
Zealous missionaries of the cause have been going around the world
proclaiming the Bahai message. In Iran, the cause has met with
considerable opposition from the government, which closed the Bahai
schools, forbade the holding of public meetings, and prohibited
the bringing of Bahai literature into the country. In spite of these
difficulties, the Bahais have been active in their propaganda, but
as far as one can see, their numbers are not increasing. In other
lands progress is reported, but, in the words of the Guardian him-
self, the Bahai Cause is still in its infancy. Nearly a hundred years
have passed since the Bab appeared, and one cannot help wonder-
ing when the Cause is going to grow up!
11. Bahaism in America Today
Having given a resume of Bahai history, we will now consider
the status of Bahaism in America at the present time.
The United States Census of Religious Bodies (1936) gives the
following figures for Bahaism :
1936      1926     1916    1906
Number of Assemblies .....            88        44       57      24
Number of Members ...... 2,584 1,247 2,884 1,280
Contributions
Temple in Chicago (present value)     ...........     $1,04O,oOO.
Gifts to local Relief, Charity, etc., in 1936 . . $     281.
Location of Members in 1936
I n New York State    ...........................        354
In Illiiiois....................................         427
In California .................................          353
The reader will note that the number of Spiritual Assemblies
(local congregations) has doubled in the last decade, and the
number of voting members has also doubled, bringing the figure
almost up to that for 1916. The property of the Temple in
Wilmette, Illinois, is now worth over a million dollars, just twice
what it was in 1926. And almost half of the American’members
reside in the three states of Illinois, New York and California.
Principles of the Bahai Faith
The Bahai teachings have been summarized as follows in the
official magazine of the movement :
The Bahai Faith recognizes the unity of God and of His
Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth,
condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the
390                 THE MOSLEM WORLD
fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony,
that it must go hand in hand with science, and that it constitutes
the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, ordered and progressive
society. It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and
privileges for both sexes, advocates compulsory education, abolishes
extremes of wealth and poverty, exalts work performed in the
spirit of service to the rank of worship, recommends the adoption
of an auxiliary international language, and provides the necessary
agencies for the establishment and safeguarding of a permanent and
universal peace.”
Literature
The Bahai teachings are set forth in a well-edited little monthly
magazine, called World Order; and in the Bahui World, the large
year-book of the movement, which appears every two years, a great
deal of interesting information is found. Also several books .have
recently been published which are worthy of notice. I would call
especial attention to ‘*Security for a Failing World”, by Stanwood
Cobb, who is one of the editors of World Order; “The World Order
of Baha’ullah”, by Shoghi Efendi, the present head of the move-
ment ; “The Dawn-Breakers”, a history of the movement translated
by Shoghi Efendi; and “The Bible of Mankind”, compiled by
Mirza Ahmed Sohrab. All these publications may be secured from
the Bahai Center, 119 West 57th Street, New York City. As I
have read these more recent publications of the Bahais, I have
been favorably impressed both by the spirit and by the quality
of their literature. Many of the articles have dealt with the
vital problems of the day, and were written by authors of real
ability. Some of the titles found in World Order during the past
five years are: Turkey Takes the New Road; Religion, Race and
Unity; Race Prejudice; A World Community; Social Trends in
American Life ; Is War Incurable ?; Meaning of Prayer ; Education
in World Friendship ; Psychology and ‘Criminal Control ; Spiritual
and Material Healing; Islam (a series of articles) ; Cooperative
Movement ; International Language ; History of the Christian Church
(a series) ; Marriage ; Immortality ; Divine Consciousness (the bear-
ing of Jung’s work on Bahaism) ; St. Catherine of Siena; Over-
coming Worry; Child Guidance; Negro in America; Why I Am a
Bahai.
From these titles it is apparent that American Bahais are abreast
of the times, and are wrestling with the same problems that are
confronting all of us today. Some of the articles were written by
Christians, but most of them are from the pens of American Bahai
authors who had a Christian background, and who have been more
deeply influenced by Christ than by Baha’ullah, though they have
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                              391
substituted his name for that of our Lord. I n every issue of the
magazine there are pages of quotations from the words of Baha’ullah
and Abdul-Baha, some of which are impressive, but most of which
make extremely dull reading. In my humble opinion, the disciples
are more interesting than their masters !
Security for a Failing World
The most attractive interpretation of American Bahaism which
I have seen is “Security for a Failing World”, a book published
by Stanwood Cobb in 1934, and in attempting to portray the spirit
and message of the Bahai movement I cannot do better than give
a summary of this challenging volume. I n a most interesting and
impressive manner the author describes the new age of plenty
and of power which has dawned on earth. He shows that man
is unable to use for good the power which is his, because while the
intellect is trained and controlled, the emotions are not. “What can
govern the emotions? Only a master emotion.” And “the greatest
of all master emotions is religion”. There is no “cure for the world
except a spiritual renaissance. We face the need of a great spirit-
ual message capable of sweeping men off their feet and carrying
them on broad streams of enthusiasm to the ocean of universal
love, harmony and peace.”
“But has the institution founded upon the message of Christ
-the    present Christian Church-sufficient       spiritual power to
eliminate the organic evils of the world? To ban war, to suppress
economic exploitation, and to establish universal peace and brother-
hood? Has it the capacity and vitality to inaugurate a world-wide
ideal civilization?
“Or must we await a new spiritual dynamic-more potent, more
universal, more capable of winning the allegiance of all races, creeds
and nations?” The answer of the author is that Christianity, like
all the other religions, has lost its power, and will die and pass
away.
He says, “The history of every great world religion, carefully
studied, will reveal this same fundamental law : namely, that religion,
as it tends to crystallize into form and ritual, correspondingly
declines in spiritual power and in ethical effectiveness.”
“Humanity, like a battery which has to be recharged, is under
the necessity of fresh spiritual impulse at stated intervals.
Fortunately for the spiritual evolution of humanity, at every epoch
when one religion has been outgrown, a new religion has magically
arisen-a religion full of vital hope and promise, and charged with
the power to remold and remake the lives of its communicants.”
The coming of a new reljgion is an act of God. It is He who
392                 THE MOSLEM WORLD
sends the Prophet. “These founders of religions not only proclaim
anew the everlasting truths and universal moral laws which must
guide humanity, but they bring a subtle and tremendous force to
bear upon the life of humanity. They are human dynamos, generat-
ing from the world of the Unseen an electric spiritual force which
they communicate to their disciples. The disciples, charged with
this force, are able in turn to communicate it to others.”
And what is the religion which today has sufficient vitality and
power to overcome man’s selfishness and greed and make possible
the establishment of a world order of peace and justice? The
answer of the author is Bahaism. It claims to be a divine revela-
tion. It has inspired amazing devotion and self-sacrifice. It has
definite spiritual and ethical teachings. Its great miracle is “the
transformation of human character, especially in the way of abolish-
ing prejudices and emotional barriers. It is bringing together Jews,
Zoroastrians, Mohammedans, Christians, Buddhists, Confucianists
-welding them into an organic whole, a living, breathing body of
brotherhood and love.” It transforms human nature and has pro-
duced many saints.
The reason for the success of Bahai missionary work is that
“no one is asked to abandon his own religion in order to become a
Bahai.” The Bahai missionary does not have to attack other
religions, draw comparisons, hurt people’s feelings. All religions
are in essence one: love to God, love to man. Hence the Bahai
movement is “the great keystone to the arch of human progress,
the fulfilment of the dreams of all the prophets; the Utopia which
philosophers have visioned ; the Golden Age, the Millennium, the
Kingdom of God upon earth.”
“Imagine a world bound together by one language, one religion,
one code of morals, and one government, into a great common
culture. S w h is the Bahai World State. Universal education, a
universal curriculum, international exchange of commodities, with-
out tariff barriers, peaceful and friendly national rivalry. A world
parliament to form international laws and a world court to enforce
them, and the maintenance of universal peace by means of an
international police force.”
The Need of the World for God
Many of the words of Mr. Cobb and other earnest Bahai writers
strike a responsive chord in Christian hearts. We sympathize deep-
ly with the Bahais in their concern about the state of the world, and
we too are moved by the words of Baha’ullah which they quote so
effectively. “How long will humanity persist in its waywardness ?”
he asked. “How long will injustice continue? How long are chaos
and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                              993
the face of society? The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from
every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human
race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and
chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears
to be lamentably defective.”
For the “convulsions and chaos” which Baha’ullah and all dis-
cerning men foresaw are now, in April, 1940, on the front page
of every newspaper, and the end is not yet.
We also agree that mankind, unaided by God, is impotent to
right these wrongs and remake our world. “Humanity”, writes
Shoghi Efendi, the Guardian of the Cause, in World Order (April,
1935) “whether viewed in the light of man’s individual conduct or
in the existing relationships between organized communities and
nations, has, alas, strayed too far and suffered too great a decline to
be redeemed through the unaided efforts of the best among its
recognized rulers and statesmen-however            disinterested their
motives, however concerted their action, however unsparing in
their zeal and devotion to its cause. No scheme which the calcula-
tions of the highest statesmanship may yet devise; no doctrines
which the most distinguished exponents of economic theory may
hope to advance; no principle which the most ardent of moralists
may strive to inculcate, can provide in the last resort, adequate
foundation upon which the future of a distracted world can be
built.”
Yes, the world is unable to save itself, and our only hope is
in God. And what has God done to save the world? It is here
that Bahais part company with followers of Christ. The Christian
believes that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Him-
self”, that Christ is the only Saviour of the world, that He, by
His spirit, is always with His disciples, and is able to meet all their
needs and the needs of the whole world. The Christian remembers
Christ’s word, “It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go
not away the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I go I will
send Him unto you”, and believes that Christ’s spiritual presence
everywhere is better for the Church today than would be His
physical presence in Palestine or in America. The Christian, there-
fore, expects no repetition of the Incarnation, with its birth and
death and resurrection, but awaits Christ’s return in glory, when
Time shall become Eternity, and Death shall be swallowed up of
Life. Meanwhile, the Christian exerts himself to the utmost to
persuade men to accept Christ as their Saviour and Lord and to
follow His teachings in private and community life, as well as in
national and international affairs, believing that whenever life is
dominated by His spirit, a righteous and harmonious world order
394                 THE MOSLEM WORLD
will be established. The Christian is convinced that God Himself
can do no more for the salvation of the world than He has done
and is doing in Jesus Christ, and that through Christ God will
finally save the world.
But the Bahai position is different. As we saw above, Baha’ullah
following the doctrine of some of the mystics of Iran, taught that
God had manifested Himself, not once but many times, and would
continue to do so forever. Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster,
Christ, Mohammed, the Bab, and now Baha’ullah have all been
divine Manifestations, but since the religions founded by the other
prophets are now out of date, the only hope of the world today
is the Bahai Cause, founded by Baha’ullah, furthered by his son
Abdul-Baha, and guided by his great-grandson Shoghi Efendi-this
is the God-chosen instrument for the salvation of the world in
our age.
The coming of a new Prophet, or Manifestation, brings a new
day for the earth, a new spring-time for a world dead in ignorance
and unbelief. The Prophets belong to a higher order of existence
than that of man. “Baha’ullah establishes the existence of three
worlds”, writes Ruhi Afnan in World Order, “(1) the World of
God, or Divine Existence, (2) the World of the Prophets . . . ; .
( 3 ) and the World of Creation. The World of the Prophets is the
bridge over the chasm existing between the other two worlds, and
forms the basis of our moral and spiritual life.”
The Prophets are mirrors which reflect the light of the sun.
One mirror is broken, another takes its place. One Prophet dies
(the Bahais say “ascends”), another follows him,and the sun shines
in all. “Just as the sun reflected in the mirror can assert with full
justification that it is the same sun, so can the Prophet say that he
is God.” Jesus said, “I and my Father are one”. Mohammed is
quoted as saying, “He is I and I am He” [not in the Koran].
The Bab said, “I am the Primal Point from which have been
generated all created things”. And Baha’ullah said, “Naught is
seen in My beauty but His beauty, and in My being but His being,
and in My self but His self.” And so, Bahaism has no real
Incarnation, for the illustration of the mirror indicates not a true
union of God and man in the Manifestation, but merely a temporary
and formal relationship. The sun does not in any sense unite with
the mirror, and its contact may therefore cease at any time. A
thousand mirrors may follow one another in rapid succession, and
the beholder is not aware of any difference between them, for he
sees only the reflected light of the sun, and the mirror means but
little to him.
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                          395
The Szcccession
As one reads the Bahai literature he frequently meets the state-
ment that one of the weaknesses of Christianity and Islam is that
the founders of these religions did not give any definite directions
regarding the organization and government of their followers after
their death. As a result, Christians and Mohammedans are split
into many sects, and no one is acknowledged by all believers as
their divinely appointed head. But this fault has been corrected
in the latest Manifestation, for Baha’ullah gave clear directions
regarding his successor, and the Bahais will not split up as others
have done. Whether Bahaism in the years to come will be spared
the controversy and strife which have weakened other religions
remains to be seen. Certainly the first seventy-five years of Babi-
Bahai history had their full share of internal as well as external
strife! And though the leadership of Shoghi Efendi was not
seriously opposed, there were some Bahais who refused to follow
him in spite of Abdul-Baha’s Will. Man being as he is, no plan
and no command, even though it be from God, will prevent schisms
from occurring unless the community is full of the Holy Spirit, who
is the Spirit of Love and Unity.
The Bahai leaders maintain that the spiritual principles of
Bahaism cannot be accepted without the Administrative Order, for
they are inseparable. The Guardianship is indispensable to the
movement, for there must always be someone to give infallible
interpretation and guidance to men. Thus in an article in World
Order (April, 1936) Ruhi Afnan defends the necessity of “Institu-
tionalism’’ in religion. He says a religion without an organization
will not survive. Christianity and Islam have both had organization
and owe their strength to this. Likewise the Bahai cause must have
its Guardian and its legislative body. In order to avoid the confusion
and divisions which result from freedom of interpretation of the
Scriptures, “Baha’ullah gave the exclusive right of interpretation to
Abdul-Baha. How could he have safeguarded His faith from the
disruptive influences that clove asunder the older Faiths if not
through the institution of Guardianship, through an institution the
distinguishing prerogative of which would be to interpret the
scripture?” There must be a Guardian, say the Bahais, appointed
by God, not elected by men, who shall have the sole right to
interpret the scriptures, and to whom men must give absolute
obedience. For only thus can the unity which is desired be attained.
The Guardian is to be the Head, not only of a religious organi-
zation, but also of a World State, which will have supreme authority
in every phase of human life. “Some form of a world super-state
396                  THE MOSLEM WORLD
must needs be evolved, in whose favor all the nations of the world
will have willingly ceded every claim to make war, certain rights
to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, except for
purposes of maintaining internal order within their respective
dominions. Such a state will have to include within its orbit an
International Executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchal-
lengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the common-
wealth.’,
There will also be a World Parliament and a Supreme Tribunal.
Thus a World Community will be created in which economic barriers,
religious fanaticism, racial animosity will not exist, which will be
governed by a single code of international law.
Mr. Stanwood Cobb, writing in World Order in April, 1937,
takes us to the year 2001 A.D., and shows us the world as it has
been reconstructed according to the Bahai plan-        wonderful Utopia,
in which there is no war, no poverty, no illiteracy, and no religious
division. He says, “This new and miraculous spiritual unity of the
human race is the most important single factor in the creation of
an effective, working unity of thought and action among the two
billion people that inhabit -the globe.
“The apex and keystone of this world structure is the institution
of the Guardianship established by Baha’ullah as the focal point
around which the world’s thought and iction revolve, creating a
functional unity unassailable by the d5spersive quality.
“This sane spiritual force of divine guidance and protection per-
meates to greater or less degree the functioning of the various legis-
lative and administrative bodies-local,      national, and international.
I n fact, a new type of government has sprung into being, combining
the important elements of democracy, aristocracy, autocracy, and
.
theocracy. . . Permeating universally the ordering and function-
ing of this new government is the practice of collective turning to
the Divine Ruler of the universe for guidance in the solution of
all the difficult legislative and administrative problems.’, The Bahais
feel the need of a Divine Ruler who sits on Caesar’s throne, and
that Ruler they believe to be Shoghi Efendi.
& Bahaism an Independent Religion?
In his book, “Security for a Failing World”, Mr. Cobb has a
chapter on “Christianity and the New World Order”, in which he
discusses the relation of Bahaism to Christianity. “Does Bahaism
supersede Christianity?’, he asks. He replies that it does not. Its
purpose is the same as that of Christianity, to establish the will
of God upon earth. If the church can accomplish this end, Bahaism
will rejoice. Becoming a Bahai does not necessitate separation
from one’s church. To a woman who asked, “What shall I do to
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                            397
become a good Bahai?” Abdul-&ha replied, “Work in your
church, be the best Christian you can be, and thus you will become
a good Bahai”.
The point of view expressed by Mr. Cobb in the above para-
graph is not in accord with the pronouncement of the Guardian
Shoghi Efendi, as published in the “Bahai World” ( 1934-1936,
p. 200), which clearly indicates that Bahaism is a distinct religion,
and that a Bahai should not retain his membership in his former
church, synagogue or mosque. He says that formerly when the
Bahai cause was just beginning to emerge, it was permitted for
Bahais to keep their old religious connections. But now the situa-
tion has changed. Bahaism has become a separate world religion.
“No Bahai”, writes the Guardian, “who wishes to be a whole-hearted
and sincere upholder of the distinguishing principles of the Cause
can accept full membership in any non-Bahai ecclesiastical organi-
zation. . . . For it is only too obvious that in most of its funda-
mental assumptions the cause of Baha’ullah is completely at variance
with outworn creeds, ceremonies and institutions”.
Though we cannot agree that there is nothing in Christianity
but “outworn creeds, ceremonies and institutions”, we do heartily
agree with Shoghi Efendi that it is impossible for one to be a
Christian and a Bahai at the same time. As the Persians say, “two
watermelons cannot be carried in one hand”! Anyone who under-
stands what is involved in membership in the church of Christ, and
who is informed regarding the teachings and organization of Baha-
ism, will recognize that the two systems are contradictory and that
a Christian who wishes to accept Baha’ullah and his laws must give
up his allegiance to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the United
States and Canada, acting on this principle, sent a petition-in the
year 1934 to the United States Government requesting that Bahaism
be recognized, and Bahais be exempted from military service. They
said: W u r petition involves the claim that the Bahai Faith is an
independent religion, not an off-shoot or mere creedal or ritualistic
variation of any former religion. It stands upon the same spiritual
foundation as Christianity, Judaism’ and all other recognized in-
dependent religions of history” (Bahai World, ’1932-1934).
We hope, therefore, that in the future Bahais will desist from
proclaiming their cause as the union of all religions, and will main-
tain their stand as “an independent religion”, one of the numerous
religions claiming the allegiance of mankind. And we also hope that
they will realize that by forming a new .independent religion today
they have added to the religious confusion of the world, and have
increased the religious strife which they so much deplore.
398                THE MOSLEM WORLD

The Most Great Peace
One of the most important points in the Bahai program has
been Peace. When in 1890 Professor Edward G. Browne went
to Acre, Baha’ullah said to him, “These fruitless strifes, these
ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall
come”. For many years the followers of Baha’ullah in Iran have
asked Christians to explain the meaning of the prophecy of the
eleventh chapter of ’Isaiah. When Christians replied that this is
a prophecy of Christ, the Prince of Peace, the Bahais would say,
“But Christ did not bring peace on earth. Look at the wars which
have occurred during the past two thousand years! No, this is a
prophecy of Baha‘ullah, who will actually bring wars to an end”.
A half-century has passed since Baha’ullah uttered these words,
and during this period two world wars have been fought. Where
is the Most Great Peace that Baha’ullah was to have brought? He
has not brought peace on earth any more than Christ did, and the
Bahais find it necessary to change their interpretation.
“AS we look at the world today,” writes Shamaz Wake in
World Order (April, 1936), “nation rising against nation, the great
monster of war again appearing upon the horizon . . . . these
majestic and prophetic words of Baha’ullah, ‘The Most Great Peace
shall come’, seem but a far-off dream and not a present reality.
But, ‘So it shall be’, for . . . . when a Prophet speaks the
creative word, it is instantly accomplished in the inner plane, and
no opposing power in the universe can obliterate it. Just how long
it will be before it becomes apparent in the phenomenal world lies
in the Will of God.” And that is just what the Christian says
about Christ’s final triumph over sin and hatred. If Baha’ullah
has been unable to accomplish any more toward World Peace
than Christ accomplished, what has been gained by his cbming ?
Miss Waite says in the same article that the reason why all the
elaborate machinery which men have set up for bringing about Peace
has failed to produce any results is that the power that moves the
universe is lacking-“the power of the love of God”. “In all our
great Peace Conferences and Peace Parleys, is it not strange”, she
asks, “that all mention of God is eliminated’, All reference to the
power of prayer ignored?’ And then she says that it is to call men
back to the love of God that Baha’ullah has been sent into the
world. “He has left a plan so perfect, so all-inclusive, so adaptable
to the solution of every need of man . . . . that would men but
stop all human effort, and study and apply the divine Plan for a
New World Order, the ‘Most Great Peace’ would be an estab!ished
and blessed fact.”
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                            399
But why will they not accept this? Because, says Miss Waite,
“humanity needs new hearts”. Yes, a spiritual renewal is necessary.
The Bahai says that Baha’ullah is giving men new hearts. If he is,
let us thank God. But we know that for the past nineteen hundred
years Jesus Christ has been doing just that, and is still doing it in
almost all lands today. And He, by His cross and resurrection, is
able to exercise a life-giving power which no other prophet has ever
possessed. What is needed is not a change of doctors, but a more
faithful and earnest following out of the instructions of our Good
Physician, Jesus Christ.
111. Is Bahaism Adequate to Meet the World’s Need?
As I have already indicated, there are elements in the Bahai
teaching with which the Christian finds himself in full sympathy,
and one cannot but admire the zeal and earnestness which some of
the Bahais show in their service of the Cause. But admiration for
certain aspects of the teaching or for certain devoted missionaries
should not blind us to the nature of the system as a whole; and
honesty requires us to state our conviction that the Bahai Faith is
altogether inadequate to meet the deepest needs of men today. It
is impossible in this article to do more than mention a few of the
points at which Bahaism fails to justify its claim to be the religion
of all mankind for the coming one thousand years.
Bahaism Fails to Take Sin Seriously.
In the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments sin is taken
seriously. “Woe is me, for I am undone!” cries the Prophet,
“because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of
a people of unclean lips.” “Have mercy upon me, 0 God!” prays
the Psalmist. “Against Thee, Thee only have I sinned.       . ..
.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my
sin.” “All have sinned”, writes the Apostle, “and come short of the
glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not one.” And Jesus
taught men to pray the prayer of the publican, “God be merciful to
me, a sinner !” But in the Bahai teaching sin is seldom mentioned.
The evils of war, ignorance, poverty, prejudice, etc., are discussed,
but Bahaism has contented itself with an attack on the symptoms,
and has failed to realize the seriousness of the disease. Occasional-
ly, in the writings of Bahais who had a Christian background, one
finds the statement that man needs a new heart, which is a distinctly
Christian idea. But Baha’ullah, because of his pantheistic concep-
tions inherited from the Shaykhis in Persia, was unable to think of
sin as being anything more than the absence of good, and he and
Abdul-Baha largely ignored it in their writings. Nowhere in the
Bahai literature have I found a statement regarding sin so penetrat-
400                 THE MOSLEM WORLD
ing as the following, which I discovered in a recent article in The
Muslim Review of India:
“Sin is a tremendous fact. There is no excuse for sin. Sin
is a transgression of God’s commandments. Sin involves a degrada-
tion of the whole being, a debasement of the inner life, a
prostitution of the moral powers. Sin is the expression of a
perverted nature in whatever form it may reveal itself. A sinner
is one who fails to manifest the character of God. I n other words,
whatever in our lives is not the result of the active exercise of faith
in God, a faith which accepts Him as the Lord of our lives, is sin.
Self is sin personified. Self-seeking is the all-inclusive sin. Self-
ishness is the very essence of sin. Self-idolatry lies at the founda-
tion of all sin.”
Bahaism F d s to Provide a Saviour
Failing to realize the seriousness of the disease, Bahaism has
provided no adequate remedy. Baha’ullah and Abdul-Baha propose
to reform men with laws and admonitions, but Paul discovered
long ago that “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified”. Bahaism says that man needs an Educator (Morabbi),
but fails to realize that before he can be trained, man needs to be
saved. Isaiah foretold the coming of One who would be wounded
for our transgressions and would take our sins upon Himself. John
the Baptist introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God, that taketh
away the sin of the world”. “He bore our sins in His own body
on the tree”, said the Apostle. And many another sinner during
the past nineteen hundred years has found in Jesus forgiveness and
cleansing and freedom from the power of sin. But in Bahaism
there is no Gospel of salvation. What would a Bahai preacher say
in a downtown Mission? The “Principles” which he proclaims
would offer little help to a crowd of drunkards and outcasts. So
far as I know, Bahais have never opened a Mission for the down-
and-outs, and the reason is clear-they have no Saviour to offer to
the slaves of sin. The rose-water of beautiful teachings will not
wash out the stain-only the blood of the Lamb of God can do that.
Nor will Bahaism ever be able to meet the deepest needs of great
souls like Augustine, Bunyan, Wesley, and Alexander Whyte, who
are close enough to the Holy God to be aware of their utter sin-
fulness, and long for reconciliation and complete sanctification.
Bahaism Keeps Men in Bondage to the Law.
The popular religion at the time of Christ was a religion of
works, and devout men like the Pharisees tried to save themselves
by keeping the Law. Christianity rejected legalism as a way of
salvation, and set men free from bondage to the Law, offering
them salvation through faith in the Saviour. And though the doctrine
of salvation by works has appeared again and again in the Church,
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                             401

it is contrary to the Gospel, and cannot be tolerated by a Christian.
For the Christian keeps God’s laws, not in order to save himself,
but because he has been saved! Islam, however, reverted to legalism,
demanding that men once more take on their necks the yoke of the
law, from which Christ had set them free, and promising the joys
of Paradise to those who kept the laws of Mohammed.
Bahaism, .which is historically an off-shoot from Islam, retained
the Islamic attitude toward Law. According to this teaching, every
Prophet must have a code of laws, each more perfect than that
which preceded it, and salvation is to be won by observing these
precepts. As Moses gave a law to the people of his age, so
Baha’ullah has given us the law for the modern world. This law,
which is found in the various writings of Baha’ullah, particularly
in the Kiitab-i-Aqdar (Most Holy Book), is the most perfect
standard of conduct ever revealed by God to man, and it is only
through keeping these commandments that salvation can be attained.
Baha’ullah and his followers fail to realize that the more perfect
the law, the more impossible it is for sinful man to keep it, and the
more hopeless man’s situation becomes. If the Bahai law is the
most perfect law (a claim which we do not admit)’, then Bahais
are indeed “of all men most miserable”, for like the Jews of old,
they are condemned by the law in which they trusted, and they have
no other way of salvation.

Bahaism Lacks the Power to Produce Fruit
A religion which sets forth the claim to be the universal religion
for the world, must have more to commend it than beautiful phrases
and noble principles. The tree must have not only leaves but fruit.
I admit that all too often Christianity has resembled the tree which
Christ destroyed because it had luxuriant foliage but no figs, yet
every honest student of the history of society must admit that
Christianity has many times demonstrated the truth of its claim to
produce the fruit of noble living and loving service, and it is by
our fruit that we would be known. I do not assert that no good
fruit can be found on the tree of Bahaism, but I would suggest
that the best fruit of which Bahaism boasts is not the natural
product of its own roots, but what has been brought from else-
where and artificially attached to the Bahai branches. T o speak
clearly, I find that the best things in Bahaism are taken directly
from Christianity, or are brought into the new faith by Christian
converts. Should Bahai missionaries go to Central Africa and
work among pagans, I fear they would find their branches sadly
lacking in fruit! But they do not go to Africa as doctors or
teachers. Nor do they go to the needy people in America’s slums
402                THE MOSLEM WORLD
and neglected areas. The American Bahais report no hospitals or
schools for the poor, except in Iran, where the Faith originated a
century ago, and where the Persian Bahais are amply able to look
after their own people. It is startling to read in the census
statistics as given by the Bahais of America that whereas the
property of the Bahai Temple in Chicago is worth more than a
million dollars, the amount given in 1936 by the members of the
Cause to charity was only $281. Even if this figure is incorrect,
we wish that the Bahais would show their “love” more in deed
than in word, if they would win our confidence. How much more
convincing a great medical mission in India or Tibet than a million-
dollar Temple in Chicago, beautiful as the Mashriq-ul-Azkar may be !
Bahaism P m i t s but Prevents Zrwestigation of Truth
One of the boasts of Bahaism is that it encourages the in-
dependent investigation of truth. Abdul-Baha, endeavoring to com-
mend his teaching to people in the West who were worshipping at
the shrine of Science, used terminology which would attract and
make his religion seem up-to-date. Hence he spoke of freedom of
religious investigation, as opposed to the blind following of tradi-
tion. But where is that freedom today? The Bahai leaders have
made it impossible for their. followers freely to investigate truth.
First, they have made inaccessible some of the chief sources for
a study of the Babi-Bahai religion. They have permitted their
followers to go freely about the library, but before they entered
they have ,.removed from the shelves all the dangerous books! I
have already described how the Nuqtatu’l-Kaf was destroyed, and
the early history of the movement re-written, so as to minimize the
position of the Bab, and to eliminate Subh-i-Azal from the picture,
in order to exalt Baha’ullah. The statement of Dr. Browne is
unfortunately true, when he said, “Of this much I am certain,
that the more the Bahai doctrine spreads, especially outside Persia,
and most of all in Europe and America, the more the true history
and nature of the original Bahai movement is obscured and dis-
torted.” If Bahaism stands for investigation of truth, this should
not be.
A no less serious failure to make possible a knowledge of the
truth is the refusal of the Bahai leaders to translate the Kitab-i-
Aqdm into English. It is the very heart of the Bahai scriptures,
it is for Bahaism what the Koran is for Islam, and yet a half-
century has passed since Baha’ullah’s death, and it has not yet been
translated from the original Arabic, which is almost as unintelligible
in Iran as it is in America. How can American Bahais “investigate”
their own religion if they cannot even read their principal Scripture?
In his Will and Testament, Abdul-Baha commanded that the Kitab-
THE BAHAI CAUSE TODAY                             403
CAqdar be the rule of faith and practice for all Bahais. “Unto the
Most Holy Book”, he said, “everyone must turn.” Has not the time
come for some liberty-loving Bahai to publish this book in English?
But no loyal Bahai will do so, for there is no freedom of
interpretation in this religion. Shoghi Efendi is the sole authori-
tative Interpreter of Scripture, and his followers have no right
to interpret for themselves. They are content to believe the version
of Bahai history which Shoghi Efendi teaches them, and they will
patiently wait to read the Kitab-GAqdas till Shoghi Efendi sees fit
to make an authorized version for them. But why does he delay?
Thus Bahaism makes impossible not only investigation of truth
but all true freedom. The Bahai dream is of la totalitarian world
order, in which the successor of Baha’ullah rules supreme. His
will is law, and all thoughts and actions must conform to his desires.
The individual can do nothing but submit in slavish obedience to
the Guardian. Now the Christian holds that only God has the right
to demand such obedience of men. If Shoghi Efendi claims to be
divine, as did Baha’ullah, he might be justified in requiring such
submission, and in that case, he would be a new Manifestation.
But if he is man, and not God, how can he rightly demand absolute
obedience and submission from other men?
Bahaism Dishonors Jesus Christ
The most serious charge which can be brought against Bahaism
is that it has dishonored Him whom Bahais profess to love, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now when I say this I am well aware that
there are many Bahais who have no desire to dishonor our Lord,
and who argunaware of the fact that they are doing so. But the
clear teaching uf this Faith is that Jesus was not what the Bible
represents Him to be-the       only-begotten Son of God, the one
Saviour of men-for        it declares that Jesus was succeeded by
a greater Prophet, namely, Mohammed, who brought a new spring-
time to the world, and was for a period of twelve hundred years
the Manifestation of God for all men. And Mohammed was suc-
ceeded by the Bab, and the Bab by Baha’ullah, the greatest Prophet
of all, so that Bahaism bids its adherents give to #othersthat glory
and honor which belong to Christ alone. The Bahai interpretation
of the Christian Scriptures is a misinterpretation, and while Bahais
are at liberty to reject the Scriptures if they so desire they cannot
honestly accept them only to distort their teaching beyond recogni-
tion. In Christian doctrine, Christ is the Head of all things, and in
Him all things hold together, and He is the Beginning and the End.
But Bahaism has attempted to push Him off the throne of the
universe, and to put in His place in succession three others, all of
whom, it is said, are greater than He. The Christian cannot for a
404                     T H E MOSLEM WORLD

moment tolerate this disloyalty, and while steadfastly confessing the
supremacy of Jesus Christ will earnestly and lovingly pray that the
followers of Baha’ullah (Glory of God) may see more clearly
the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of
our Saviour, and may find in Him all that their hearts desire. For
we are persuaded that when they know Him as He is they too will
sing with us,
“Thou, 0 Christ, art all I want,
More than all in Thee I find.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Written by Bahais
Baha’u’llah and the New Era-Esslemont.
The Dawn Breakers-Translated by Shoghi Efendi.
A Traveller’s Narrative-Translated by E. G. Browne.
Bahai Scriptures-Edited by Horace Holley.
Security for a Failing World-Stanwood Cobb.
World Order Magazine.
The Bahai World,

Written by Non-Bahais
Les Religions et Zes Philosophies duns 1’Asie Centrale-Conte
de Gobineau.
A Year amongst the Persians-E. G. Browne.
Nwqtatw’l-Kaf-Edited    by E. G. Browne
Mzgerials for the Study of the Babi Religion-E. G. Browne.
* Bahaism and Its Claims-S. G. Wilson.
* Baha’ism-W. M. Miller.
*The Religion of the Baha’is-J. R. Richards.

Teheran, Iran                             WILLIAM
McE. MILLER.
These books are available at the Foreign Missions Library, 156 Fifth Avenue,
New Yark, N Y.
-- The Baha'i Cause Today (Used by permission of the curator)