![[leland_jensen_portrait.png]] > [!info] Building the Archive > - This archive is being assembled. Spend some time reading, bookmark it, and return soon for new material. > - Please [[Contact Us]] with feedback, questions, or any other comment you'd like to make. > - We are looking for copies of letters and documents Dr. Jensen mentions in his letters and papers. Often when his letters were shared for study, their enclosures are not. We'd like to complete the record by adding these back with the letters they were sent with. Refer to the [[Wanted for the Archive]] page and let us know if you have any of the items we're looking for. >[!success] Recently Added Documents You Should Read > **Charles Mason Remey Witnesses and Documents the Actions of the Hands** > > Prior to his April 1960 Proclamation as the second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Charles Mason Remey had already witnessed the ongoing efforts of the Hands to eliminate the guardianship and to position themselves as a self-appointed, non-authoritative leadership role within the Faith. > >With the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957, Remey began keeping a daily journal and composing several historical accounts. These writings — unpublished, typewritten manuscripts that were repeatedly photocopied — have long been ignored or dismissed, despite offering Baha'is a rare, firsthand account of the confusion and turmoil that began in those years. > >After the first Conclave of the Hands in late November 1957, their decision — invoking *BADA'* and declaring that the guardianship had come to end, that God had "changed His mind" — became known to the Hands in the United States who then distributed a far more blunt letter that later became known as **The Chicago Manifesto**. > — Read the [[1958 A New Baha'i Era (The Chicago Manifesto)]] > >The "Hands in the Holy Land," now acting as the central leadership behind the plan, halted the circulation of that letter — but not before it was copied and widely shared among believers. Lacking the solemn tone and rhetorical framing of their official Conclave Proclamation — "…that no successor to Shoghi Effendi could have been appointed by him was to plunge … into the very abyss of despair" — the Manifesto was too starkly revealing of the theological implications of their actual position. > >Years later, Ruhiyyih Khanum would write in semi-confessional reflection: **"How to assume the reins of authority, with no document to support us, other than the general theological statements about the Hands?"** (*Ministry of the Custodians*, p. 9.) > >Presented here are three excerpts from Remey's larger writings that recount these events: > — [[1958-12-29 First Comment on The Chicago Manifesto]] > — [[1960-04 Second Comment on The Chicago Manifesto]] > — [[1960-06-01 The Hands Declare Bada']] > > What is *Bada'*? Read the Glossary Definition of [[Bada']]. > *** > For reference we've discovered and republished a provisional bibliography of works by Charles Mason Remey, the second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith and the first Guardian–President of the International Baha'i Council. > — [[Bibliography of Works by Guardian–President Charles Mason Remey (1958–1974)]] *** > [!cite] 'Abdu'l-Baha >  "...[a] new principle revealed by Baha’u’llah is the injunction to investigate truth — that is to say, no man should blindly follow his ancestors and forefathers. Nay, each must see with his own eyes, hear with his own ears and investigate the truth himself in order that he may follow the truth instead of blind acquiescence and imitation of ancestral beliefs." — *The Promulgation of Universal Peace, Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney, 780 West End Avenue, New York, 2 December 1912, Notes by Esther Foster* > [!cite] Dr. Leland Jensen >  “… Baha’u'llah tells the searcher after truth to shut the door of friendliness and enmity upon all the people of the earth (_The Seven Valleys_, page 5 \[E1]). The reason for this is that if one has love for a person that person may direct the searcher away from the pathway of investigation. Also, if one doesn’t listen to the proofs of his enemies, he may not be able to find the truth, for it may be possessed only by his enemy. Thus, we must be like the true scientist that examines all of the evidence impassionately, and cling to only that which is true. This is what I did, and this is what every person in the world must do if he is to reach salvation.” — *Letter to Joseph Pepe Remey, November 1975* The **Dr. Leland Jensen Teachings and Commentaries Archive** is a Baha’i site dedicated to learning, teaching, deepening, and research. It focuses on the writings and commentaries of Dr. Leland Jensen, his students, the second International Baha’i Council, and the broader Baha’i Faith. ##### Our Educational Purpose To offer educational and historical resources for those seeking to deepen their understanding — whether investigating the truth, studying the Covenant, or exploring the breadth of the Baha’i Revelation. > [!cite] 'Abdu'l-Baha > In these days, the most important of all things is the guidance of the nations and peoples of the world. Teaching the Cause is of utmost importance for it is the head cornerstone of the foundation itself. — *Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha* ##### The Violation of the Hands: A Test for Believers For Baha’is who have navigated the violation of the Hands — or are currently investigating it along with the guardianship — we are building a base of documentation to support that exploration. This includes resources on the role of the Guardian, the International Baha’i Council, its evolution, and the question of Baha’i succession. If you’re unfamiliar with these topics, this is the right place to begin. ##### 'Editor's Notes' and Commentaries Included with our documents, you’ll find important explanations, editor's notes, teaching notes, and commentary to guide your reading and research. **Editor's Notes** may be found inline in some documents like this — \[Editor's Notes: Where comments are needed.] — and in **Editor's Endnotes** referenced from within a document like this, \[E1], \[E2], etc. and found at the end of the document. ##### Building a Knowledge Base The catalogued collection and archive of Dr. Jensen's work includes; - Letters - Essays, articles, and other written pieces - Books and pamphlets - Printed materials - Outlines and notes - Photographs, audio recordings, and videos - Source materials and referenced works cited or promoted by Dr. Jensen These materials are available to read online, download, study, print, and share. ##### Archival Information A documents' archival information is presented in a collapsible format like this: > [!example]+ Document Details > - **Type:** > - **Date:** > - **Author:** > - **Addressee:** > - **Pages:** > - **Enclosures:** > - **Reason for the letter:** > - **Notes:** > - **Archivist / Editorial Note:** > Besides these basic categories you should see additional notes that explain. • When was it written? What was happening at the time? • Why was it written? What conversation or event prompted it? • What is the subject matter? • What other documents or materials are related to this piece? ##### Document Categories Use the side navigation to explore by document category, letter addressee, or related areas — Other Authors, Resources, Related Materials, and the second International Baha'i Council. Teaching notes and commentary will accompany where needed. If you aren't sure where to begin, use the Featured section for suggested subjects or documents. ##### An Online Archive Built With Shared Documents We have a huge backlog of items we are adding to the site as fast as we are able. If there is something you are looking for, or if there is a question you have, let us know and we'll see if we have it, or can answer your question. Send a message to us > [!info] Do you have something you think should be in this archive? Please share it with us! > We are looking for letters, articles, research papers, fireside class outlines, and deepening materials — most any written material — by Dr. Leland Jensen his students, or the second International Baha'i Council. This archive was started as a desire for everyone to have the same source materials. > > We are also interested in photographs, videotapes, audio recordings, and visual materials. > > We will gladly take a PDF, a scan, jpeg or any other electronic file. > > Let's talk and see if it's something we don't already have and is being planned to be added to the web collection. > > See our [[Wanted for the Archive]] page or use the following link to launch your mail map or write us at email address "contact (at) leland-jensen (dot) info". > > *At this time we have a huge backlog of items we are adding to the site as fast as we are able. If there is something you are looking for let us know and we'll see if we have it!* *** **Editor's Endnotes** **E1.** \[Editors note: Citing "page 5" from an unspecified print edition of Baha'u'llah's *The Seven Valleys*, which is in actuality paragraph 8 of current editions, which reads, "It is incumbent upon these servants to cleanse the heart, which is the wellspring of divine treasures, of every marking; turn away from imitation, which is following the traces of their forefathers; and **shut the door of friendship and enmity upon all the people of the earth**." Emphasis added.] *** **Link to this page:** https://leland-jensen.info/ *** `12/4/25`