NINE OR NINETEEN MEMBERS ON UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE? – A DEBATE IN THE
BAHAI FAITH
When someone
joins a religion, it will always be riddled with uncertainty for him or her
rather than filled with faith. Even if one was born into the faith or grew up among
the most devoted of friends and relatives, this is true. A religion journey is
usually distinguished by great joy, astonishment, and exquisite camaraderie, as
well as a great deal of doubt, difficulty, and grief.
Okay, so it's
acknowledged that doubts are a natural component of religious beliefs, and when
people have concerns, they strive to work through them, investigate them, and
emerge stronger and more confident in their views. Perhaps there are good
answers to your doubts, and as a result, your faith will be stronger and more
solid. On the other hand, if you don't get any positive replies, you'll be
forced to choose between sticking with a religion you know isn't logical and abandoning
it in favour of ideas that are.
Now, imagine there
are contradictions and incompatibilities in what one perceives to be true, only
to discover later that it was all untrue and based on selfish gain? There is a
laundry list of such items forced down Bahais' throats that are not supported
by the Bahai Scriptures and are not founded on Bahaullah and Abdul Baha's
teachings. Today, I'd want to look at one of the items on that list and compare
it to the teachings of the Bahai faith's founders.
Among the many
incompatibilities and inconsistencies in the Bahai Faith's beliefs, practices,
and governance, such as the continuation of Guardianship, the authenticity of
Abdul Baha's Will and Testament, the validity of the current Universal House of
Justice, and the non-election of women to the UHJ, to which the current
Administration has provided no satisfactory answer, a new controversy is
arising that will strike the foundations of the UHJ, and it is the number of
members. For these integers that are diagonally opposite each other, we
discover various references. Some sources claim 19, while others say between 9
and 19, and some state things that aren't specifically referenced in the Holy
Scriptures.
The Bahai faith
is unable to make decisions on a number of contentious problems, one of which
being where nine should be used and where nineteen should be applied. There is
a clear reference from Abdul Baha stating that the UHJ will have 19 members.
1- We can see that
Abdul Baha clearly said that the UHJ will have 19 members.
The King
and Rulers of the world will find their true authority under the ruling of
House of Justice. The Laws of God will be vested in nineteen men who
will compose the House of Justice and render decisions…. The House of Justice
will decide between kings and kings. All judgment will be from the standpoint
of God’s law
(Ten days in the light of Acca by Julite M. Grundy, Printed in
Chicago December 1907. Published by Bahai Publishing Society Chicago, ILLIONIS,
U.S.A. WORDS OF ABDUL BAHA)
2-The
Present universal House of justice is advocating for membership between 9 and
19.
The number of members of the
Universal House of Justice is not explicitly fixed at nine,[a} and in a
Tablet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated that the Universal House of Justice may function
with up to nineteen members at its discretion.(b)
According to Ali Nakhjawani, Abdul Baha claimed that the number "might be 19," and that he
justifies this by stating, "We had a meeting of UHJ with members of ITC,
and the members were 18 and manageable."
A member of the Universal House of Justice incorrectly attributes this
to Abdul Baha. 'Ninteen' is plainly referenced in the previous passage.
(a) 1998 letter by / on
behalf of Universal House of Justice
(b) 'Ali Nakhjavani, Shoghi
Effendi: The Range and Power of his Pen, Casa Editrice Baha'i, 2006, p 251
3- The number of members is not specifically specified in Holy Text,
according to Shoghi Effendi's secretary. This is also incorrect.
"The
membership of the Universal House of Justice is confined to men. Fixing the
number of the members, the procedures for election and the term of membership
will be known later, as these are not explicitly revealed in the Holy
Text." (27 May 1940)
(Women on the Universal House of Justice: by / on behalf of
Universal House of Justice, 1988-05-31, date of original: 1998)
4- Another
study argues that the UHJ should be made up of 19 people. The Local Spiritual
Assembly was most likely formerly known as the Local House of Justice, and the
House of Justice had 19 members in 1905.
“There
are three meetings held in Bombay, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings at
six o clock. The Tuesday meeting is reserved for house of justice composed on
19 members”
(A year with the Bahais of India and Burma by Sydney Sprague
second edition pa 15 The Priory Press High Street, Hampstead, London, N.W.)
Whatever the
cause, the change from nineteen to nine was not a divine decree; rather, it was
the kind of deception for which the Bahai faith is notorious. The Bahai Administration
is now attempting to justify its nine members. This, along with several other
flaws in the Bahai Faith, will cause Bahais to doubt the faith's authenticity.
Without a doubt, the Bahai Faith is a man-made religion that evolves through
time. Downsizing
became necessary because the Bahai Administration believed that supervising and
controlling 9 members would be simpler.
What
is the importance of the UHJ in the Baha’i faith?
As per the teachings
Bahaullah and Abdul Baha, the UHJ plays a very important role especially because it enacts laws “that are not
expressly recorded in the Book,” according to the Baha’i writings,
legislating on issues not covered in the original writings of Baha’u’llah and
Abdul Baha:
Those
matters of major importance which constitute the foundation of the Law of God
are explicitly recorded in the Text, but subsidiary laws are left to the House
of Justice. The wisdom of this is that the times never remain the same, for
change is a necessary quality and an essential attribute of this world, and of
time and place. – Abdul Baha, cited in Wellsprings of Guidance,
pp. 84-86.
Abdul Baha also promised
that the Universal House of Justice is “the
source of all good and freed from all error.” Will and Testament of Abdul
Baha, p. 19.
To summarize, the UHJ is a
group of people who are responsible for looking after the whole Bahai community
and for putting the teachings into practice as well as developing laws from
Bahaullah's teachings. They are, in a sense, acting as a Guardian who has
assumed control of the faith today. Imagine a team that has a big role to play
in the Bahai world, but its basis is built on lies?! Also, if a 19-member team
can become infallible when they work together, can we be confident that
reducing the number to 9 will have the same outcome? Is it really possible to
consider them infallible? Is it possible to trust their acts and statements at
face value? Perhaps this is why, from the inception of this complete system of
existing form of UHJ, the team has strayed so far from the faith. All of their
choices have been discovered to have faults and weaknesses.
The
big question!
Now comes the big
question that every Bahai should consider: Do we still believe in a system despite
its numerous flaws? If one is unable to discover solutions to his or her
problems and questions, it may be time to change one's path. It doesn't have to
be atheism or a different theological perspective; it only has to be one that
is based on truth and is rational and clear. You should not be ashamed of
seeking to discover your own path in a way that makes sense to you; you are not
required to follow the same faith as your family just because you have done so
previously.
