Bahaism and Its Claims: A Study of the Religion Promulgated by Baha Ullah and Abdul BahaWilson, Samuel Graham
Religion
Bahaism and Its Claims: A Study of the Religion Promulgated by Baha Ullah and Abdul Baha
Wilson, Samuel Graham
Bahai Faith -- Controversial literature
nothing to fear." Kheiralla answered him, "I know these Orientals better
than you do. I know what they did to the Azalis." Before they came to
the next discussion, he had policemen concealed in his house for his
protection. The upshot of the whole matter was that protesters
repudiated Abbas Effendi, after a conference in Chicago on May 27, 1900,
finding "increasing evidence of falsity and double dealing in him."
Indeed, says Doctor Pease, "Why should we not inquire whether Abbas is
not _a_ son, if not _the_ son of perdition." They entered into
correspondence and became one with the party of M. Mohammed Ali. After
this the controversy took on a doctrinal aspect and all questions of
Abbas' supremacy and misconduct were thrashed out between the American
Behaists and Bahais. This controversy from the side of the Behaists is
contained in "The Three Questions" and "Facts for Behaists" (Chicago,
1901); from the other side in "Letters of Abdul Baha Abbas to the
Friends in Persia" and "An Epistle to the Bahai World," by M. Badi
Ullah, after his recantation. The details of the schism have been given
already. To heal the schism different leaders were sent to America
successively by Abbas Effendi. Following M. Abdul Karim, came M. Asad
Ullah, 1901. He published, in New York, "The Sacred Mysteries" in which
he anathematizes the Behaists. He organized a "House of Justice" in
Chicago, a step which had been previously taken by the other party. Next
came the learned Mirza Abul Fazl, 1901-1902. But their efforts were
unavailing though each was willing to acknowledge the faults of his
predecessor. The quarrel gave a great setback to the cause. Doctor Pease
wrote in 1902:[611] "About 1,700 have left us because of the dissension
and false teaching, and because they would not engage in religious
scandal. The whole number in the country is now 600 or 700. Of these 300
are Behaists; the others are Abbasites of one sect or another, holding
belief that Abbas is Lord and Master." Doctor Kheiralla says, "Many grew
cold, few remained." With this agrees the word of Thornton Chase:[612]
"We have seen too many, when the first winds of testing blew, show faith
of shallow depth." Abdul Baha says:[613] "Chicago, in comparison with
the cities of America, was in advance and numerically contained more
Bahais, but when the stench or vile odour of the Nakhazeen was spread
in that city there was stagnation." In Chicago Bahaism never recovered
from these quarrels. In 1914 Mr. F. A. Slack, "Spiritual Guide of the
Behaist Assembly of Kenosha," wrote to me "of the bitter invectives and
false accusations and persecutions we are subjected to" by the followers
of Abbas Effendi. The Behaists had dwindled to 40, according to their
own report to the U. S. Census in 1906, while the Bahais reported 1,280
in U. S. A. of whom 492 were in Illinois, 23 in two Assemblies in New
York State, 58 in New Jersey, 52 in Pennsylvania. One of the largest
Assemblies was in Washington, D.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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