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NEW E-BOOK TITLED "GRACE, WILL, AND FAITH"

REVIEWED BY THE GUARDIAN

YA BAHA'UL-ABHA

(O Thou Glory of Glories)

Preface to the Will and Testament of I'an RoeBuck

According to the Book of Laws, Bahá'u'lláh's Most Holy Book, the Kitab-i-Aqdas, "Unto everyone hath been enjoined the writing of a will. The testator should head this document with the adornment of the Most Great Name, bear witness therein unto the oneness of God in the Dayspring of His Revelation, and make mention, as he may wish, of that which is praiseworthy, so that it may be a testimony for him in the kingdoms of Revelation and Creation and a treasure with his Lord, the Supreme Protector, the Faithful."

The main body of my Will and Testament is to be found in my filing cabnet and contains the necessary legal documents for probate and the dispersal of my properties, appointing of executor's, and other things appertaining to my wife and children.

A copy of this document has been made, signed, dated, and notorized and included with the original Will and Testament of I'an RoeBuck.

I bear witness that the Báb was the Herald-Prophet of Bahá'u'lláh, that He sacrificed His life in the public square of Tabriz for His Beloved One, Bahá'u'lláh, and that He is the first of the Twin Prophets of this revelation.

I bear witness that the revealation of Bahá'u'lláh has generated all the arts, sciences, and other improvements in civilization that have been and will hereafter be made manifest during this dispensation. I bear witness that the Prophet of God, and His Supreme Manifestation on earth is to be found in the Person of Bahá'u'lláh. I bear witness that there is but one God, unknowable in His essence, Who wished to make himself known in His attributes, and so He brought the universe into being and created humankind. I bear witness that the One God has revealed Himself to man age after age in the Persons of His Manifestations, the Prophets. I bear witness that Bahá'u'lláh reveals for our age the Oneness and attributes of God both in His Person, in His Writings, and in the Organic Institutions of His Adminstrative Order.

I further bear witness that Bahá'u'lláh instituted a Covenant unique in the world; a Covenant designed to avoid schism, and where schism developes to either stop it in its tracts, or if the violation of the Covenant be severe to withstand it over a long period of time and be victorious even though the violators might look, at first, as though they were victorious. This Covenant Bahá'u'lláh made to endure until the coming of the next Prophet according to the injunctions found in the Sacred Writings.

I further bear witness that this Covenant appointed 'Abdu'l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant, the Perfect Examplar of the Bahá'í life, and the Mystery of God; that, he was appointed the infallible interpreter of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the Bab, and it is He to whom all Bahá'ís were to turn for guidance and protection from divisions.

I further bear witness that 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His Will and Testament appointed Shoghi Effendi to be the First Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith; that the Will and Testament is to be considered an inseperable part with the Kitab-i-Aqdas of one complete whole; that Shoghi Effendi under the Covenant was the Center of the Cause, that the Universal House of Justice is to have the Guardian as its Sacred Head for life; that in the Will and Testament, in the second to last paragraph, states "All must seek guidance and turn unto the Center of the Cause (Shoghi Effendi) and the House of Justice" (to be elected); the in this one sentence 'Abdu'l-Bahá makes it plain that the Universal House of Justice is not the Center of the Faith, but that the Guardian is; that 'Abdu'l-Bahá made the Guardianship a continuing institution until the coming of the next Manifestation of God, when all infallibility will be His.

I further bear witness that Shoghi Effendi according to the provisions of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá appointed in his own life time Hand of the Cause of God Mason Remey as the Second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith; that the appointment was made in a manner to avoid consternation among the believers; that the age of Mason Remey would have clearly indicated to the believers that Shoghi Effendi would be passing away very soon; that to avoid this consternation he appointed Masan Remey by the only proclamation he ever issued, announcing the embryonic Universal House of Justice being organized with Hand of the Cause of God Mason Remey as its President and Head; that he never convened the embryonic House during his lifetime; that at his passing, Mason Remey became full President of the embryonic Universal House of Justice and so Center of the Cause – as only the Guardian who is Center of the Cause can be and is the Head of the Universal House of Justice.

I even further bear witness that the Second Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, Mason Remey, though advanced in years placed his heart and soul into the effort to avoid violation and schism, waiting 3 years while pleading with the Hands of the Cause not to mutilate the Faith of God; that upon public proclamation by him of his office the majority of the Bahá'í World because of the promptings of the leadership of the Hands of the Cause of God, violated the Covenant of God; that they ignored the warnings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to never let "despondency" overtake the Guardian (first in the Person of Shoghi Effendi and then in the Person of the future Guardians); that such despondency was caused to Mason Remey that ultimately caused the shortening of his Guardianship and the weakening of his physical and mental strength; that before this happened the Second Guardian appointed in his own life time, by his first appointment, the Third Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith Joel Bray Marangella; that the subsequent appointments and pronoucements of the Second Guardian made after the opening of the letter appointing the Third Guardian were made out of office by a distinguished Bahá'í who had presevered the Guardianship at a stupendous personal cost in health and mental ability; that they were in no way made at that time by a present Guardian; that Mason Remey had by the power of the Holy Spirit foreseen his failing mental condition and appointed the Third Guardian prior to its onset; and that the Bahá'ís who fell away in the great delusion which swept the Bahá'í world – the delusion that they themselves could set up a Universal House of Justice without the guidance of and the participation by the Guardianship and do away with the Guardianship all in one bold sweep of will – these Bahá'ís in rebellion and their Covenant Breaking leadership were responsible for dividing the Faith of God, and overwhelming with sorrow the radiant heart, crushing the spirit, and destroying the brilliancy of mind, of the Second Guardian Mason Remey.

I finally bear witness that the Third Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith is Joel Bray Marangella, who was appointed in the reign and lifetime of the Second Guardian Mason Remey; that Joel B. Marangella is the Center of the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh, the infallible interpreter of the Writings of the Bab, Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and the Guardians that proceeded him; that it is to him that all true Bahá'ís must turn for guidance; and that obedience to him is mandatory for the proper growth of the individual and the community of Bahá'u'lláh.

I testify that when I became a Bahai I was not informed of the true claims of the Guardian Mason Remey. I remained a Bahá'í for 19 years. I found myself toward the close of those 19 years totally disillusioned with the truth of the claims of the Faith – primarily due to the seeming false prophecy and claims of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. These related to the continuance of the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice with the Guardian as the Head of the House of Justice, of the hereditary principle championed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and the statements about the future Guardians made by Shoghi Effendi only a few months prior to his death when he should have known that there was no possibliliy (according to the Hands of the Cause) that he could appoint a Guardian.

I found that I could no longer remain a Bahá'í and at the same time went into such rebellion as only someone who feels that they have been betrayed and lied to can begin to comprehend. The rebellion was both moral and physical. I will not go into details as confession before men is not permitted, and is debasing, according to the Scriptures. I will only state I am not proud of what transpired and will gloss over much of it.

I went into rebellion against all things Bahá'í. If Bahá'u'lláh said it was good it must be bad and if it was bad it might be good. I wandered in the valley of the beast, given over to the lusts of the flesh and the desires of the heart. Religiously I wanted no part in organized religions, and went into the New Age Movement, and into Wicca. I worked on developing my own psychic powers and was quite frankly very proficient. But in all this there was an aching emptiness.

I testify that I recognized a need for outside guidance and a desire to come to terms with the Prophet of the American culture. Eventually, after a great deal of struggle I accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God. I even became a licensed Preacher. My moral life improved greatly, of course, under the teachings of Christianity, but I still was in rebellion to Bahá'u'lláh. I joined anti- New World Movements like the militia, and spoke out as often as I could in public against world government and the Bahá'í Faith. I determined to be as fundamentalist a Christian as was possible to be. This led me down a path which I will not go into detail here with. Those that know me know why.

I testify to the grace of God in my life, bringing me out of error, allowing me to wonder in the valley of rebellion, giving me the freedom at first to err and move away into real idolatry before gently beginning the process of guiding me back to truth, and in the process allowing me to learn why literalism simply will never fill the soul with truth. I testify to the grace of God in leading me ultimately to find out on the internet about the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith, and the continuing Guardianship under the beloved Joel B. Marangella.

And I proclaim my belief that this is the true Faith of God, eternal in the past and eternal in the future.

Ya Baha'ul-Abha

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Click here for an Audio-Visual Deepening on Firmness in the Covenant

LINKS TO OTHER Bahá'í SITES:

Bahais Under the Guardianship - The Guardian's Homepage

Provisional National Bahá'í Council of the United States

Orthodox Bahá'í Council of India

Orthodox Bahá'ís of Roswell, N.M.

The Orthodox Bahá'í Faith of the Greater Salt Lake City Area

The Orthodox Bahá'í Faith of Northern California

The Orthodox Bahá'í Faith of Denver, Colorado

The Orthodox Bahá'í Faith In South Australia

True Bahá'ís.com

Karen Jo Herman's Bahá'í Homepage

The Mystical Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh

Canadian Orthodox Bahá'í Website