Home - Dr. Leland Jensen Teachings and Commentaries

![[jensen-portrait-lineart-1200x896-outline.png|550]] ## "… 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). 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." #### (Dr. Leland Jensen, Letter to Guardian Joseph Pepe Remey, December 17, 1975, emphasis added.) *** ![[Ruhiyyih-portrait-lineart-outline-900x1200.png|350]] ## "How to assume the reins of authority, with no document to support us, other than the general theological statements about the Hands?" #### (Ruhiyyih Khanum, Ministry of the Custodians 1957–1963, p. 9, emphasis added.) *** ## "Leadership is an essential to civilization. **"**Due to improper leadership the world is in chaos. In the Baha'i faith God provided for Divine leadership in his Covenant for the World Order of Baha'u'llah. This was delineated in 'Abdu'l-Baha's *Will and Testament*, and put in motion by Shoghi Effendi. **"**With the passing of Shoghi Effendi this leadership was derailed by Ruhiyyih Khanum for her self-aggrandizement and empowerment. In order for her to accomplish her plan in the place of God's Plan it was necessary to produce a need for abandoning God's Plan. She did this through cunning, deceit, artifice, and stratagem. She had to get rid of Shoghi Effendi's successor, the [[1951-01-09 Proclamation First IBC|first International Baha'i Council]], and get rid of the head of that body, Mason Remey. **"**Although she was very well versed in the Divine Plan, she convinced the Baha'i World that the guardianship had come to an end. She did this by having a secret conclave of fallible, nonauthoritative "Hands" vote [[bada'|Bada]], meaning that by God not providing Shoghi Effendi with a biological son, the guardianship had come to an end. **"**Next she had to get rid of the body of the first International Baha'i Council. She accomplished this on November 4, 1959 by having [[1959-11-04 1959 Conclave Message|another conclave of the fallible "Hands"]] in which they abandoned Shoghi Effendi's plan of for the first International Baha'i Council to become a World Court in 1963. They also voted in a plan to have a new council of their own making, which would replace Shoghi Effendi's appointed council. According to this new plan no "Hands," including Mason Remey, could be on this new Council. This was to insure that [[1960-05-31 Refute Charles Mason Remey|Mason Remey could not continue to be the head (guardian)]], as Shoghi Effendi had set up. **"**They wanted to make sure that they had [[1958-06-12 Guardianship Statement|eliminated the guardianship forever]]. They wanted to do away with everything that Shoghi Effendi had set up including the World Court in 1963, which was one of the main goals in Shoghi Effendi's World Crusade. In the place of Shoghi Effendi's plan they voted in a headless monster, calling it the Universal House of justice, and had it to be subject to the so-called guidance of the Covenant-breaking "Hands." They completely trashed the Plan of God. **"**No place does it state in any of the Baha'i writings or in any of the prophecies in scriptures that the guardianship to come to an end, or the Davidic kingship to come to an end, but to last forever. This is some of the mischief of some malignant very spiritually sick people, likened to a terminally ill cancer sick patient. "God's Universal House of Justice as delineated in the sacred *Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha*, has the guardian as the head of the UHJ: >By this House of Justice is meant the Universal House of Justice;… By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred **head** and distinguished member for life of that body. > >('Abdu'l-Baha, *[[Part One|Will and Testament]]*, 14, emphasis added.) **"**Who are we going to believe? Baha'u'llah? 'Abdu'l-Baha? Shoghi Effendi? Or Covenant-breaking Ruhiyyih Khanum, or the Covenant-breaking "Hands?" Also, the Guardian is a direct male lineal descendant of King David, seated on David's throne. Are we also going to call God a liar? God said: >**My covenant will I not break**, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that **I will not lie** unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and *as* a faithful witness in heaven. *Selah* > >(Psalm 89:34–37 KJV, emphasis added.) **"**Are Ruhiyyih Khanum and the "Hands" liars, or is God a liar? Whose side are you on, God's or the side of the Covenant-breaking "Hands" and the Covenant-breaking Ruhiyyih Khanum? Who created you, God or the Covenant-breakers?" (**Dr. Leland Jensen**, *[[1993-12-09 Yazdani, E. S.|Letter to E. S. Yazdani, December 9, 1993]]*. [↓ PDF](https://leland-jensen-info.netlify.app/1993-12-09-jensen-to-yazdani.pdf)) *** >[!note] What's New? >#### **Our mission is to preserve and make publicly available critical Baha'i writings and documents that have been historically difficult to access.** Primary sources, correspondence, and documents for the study of Baha'i history and administration. > >The organizing principle of this archive is based on Baha'i administrative authority as explained in our [archive note of January 15, 2026](2026-01-15%20Archival%20Classification%20-%20Baha'i%20Administration%20(1957–1991).md). The distinctions it draws — regarding authority, succession, and the Covenant — are foundational to everything presented in this archive. Without this context the documents in this archive may be difficult to understand and follow. > >- New letters and documents added regularly — see the [[Changelog|changelog]] for updates. >- [[2026-01-15 Archival Classification - Baha'i Administration (1957–1991)|Archival Classification]] statement published — covers administrative authority 1957–1991. >- *Primary text:* [[Part One|Will and Testament]] of 'Abdu'l-Baha added for online reading. >- *See also:* the new Will and Testament [[Print Pagination Reference|pagination reference]] tool based on the first printed edition. >- [[Downloads|Downloads page]] added — PDFs now available for most documents. >- [[Archive Bibliography]] and [[Online Collections]] updated with new books, links and downloads. >- Researching a specific figure, period, or document? [[Contact Us]] — we'd love to hear from you. *** >[!success] November 1957 – June 1960 ># **Shunned History: Read the Eyewitness Accounts** > >#### *Charles Mason Remey Chronicles the Historic Conclaves of the Hands* > >Charles Mason Remey witnessed his fellow Hands put an end to the question of guardianship with little discussion or investigation. Following that decision, they positioned themselves as leaders of the Faith and halted all further discussion of the matter. > >Remey began keeping a daily journal immediately after Shoghi Effendi's passing in November 1957, producing several historical accounts — unpublished, typewritten manuscripts that were repeatedly photocopied. These writings have long been ignored and dismissed, despite being a rare, firsthand account of a critical chapter in Baha'i history. >#### **Word Leaks Out** >Among the events Remey documented was a critical moment when word of the Hands' position began to leak beyond their control. In the first Conclave, the Persian Hands declared *bada'* — that the guardianship had ended, that God had "changed His mind." When this news reached the Hands in the United States, they attempted to publish a letter to believers entitled *A New Baha'i Era*, later known as [[1958 The Chicago Manifesto|The Chicago Manifesto]]. > >The Hands halted circulation of that letter, but not before it was copied and shared widely. Lacking the solemn tone and rhetorical framing of their official proclamation — *"…that no successor to Shoghi Effendi could have been appointed by him was to plunge … into the very abyss of despair"* — the Manifesto too starkly revealed the theological implications of their position. Believers did not easily give up their belief in the guardianship. The Hands responded by declaring such views Covenant-breaking, invoking both shunning and the principle of unity to enforce conformity with their narrative. > >Years later, Ruhiyyih Khanum wrote 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.) > >Three excerpts from Remey's writings recount these events: > — [[1958-12-29 First Comment on The Chicago Manifesto|First Comment on the Chicago Manifesto]] > — [[1960-04 Second Comment on The Chicago Manifesto|Second Comment on the Chicago Manifesto]] > — [[1960-06-01 Hands Declare Bada'|Historical Account of the Hands Declaring Bada']] > > **Unfamiliar with the term *bada'*?** See our [[bada'|glossary entry]]. > *** > **Related resource:** We've posted a provisional [[Bibliography of Guardian Charles Mason Remey (1957–1974)|bibliography of Charles Mason Remey's works]] covering his period as Guardian and Guardian–President. > > ‎ *** ## **Investigation of Truth** #### A Forgotten Baha'i Principle > [!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*. Emphasis added. > [!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). 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*. Emphasis added. > [!cite] Baha'u'llah > 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**. > >*The Seven Valleys*, page 5. Emphasis added. ‎ #### Baha'u'llah's Warning and Guidance to Believers > [!cite] Baha'u'llah > Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperishable fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the truth that from time immemorial even unto eternity **the Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, His servants, so that light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood**, right from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses from thorns. Even as He hath revealed: “Do men think when they say ‘We believe’ they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?" > > *Kitab-i-Iqan*, \[The Book of Certitude], pt. 1, para. 8. Emphasis added. >[!cite] Muhammad >**Do men think that** >**They will be left alone** >**On saying, 'We believe'** >**And that they will not** >**Be tested?** > >*Qur’an* 29:2, trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali, _The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and Commentary_, 1989. Emphasis added. >[!cite] 'Abdu'l-Baha >The worst enemies of the Cause **are in the Cause.** >… >In this day **every one must be tested**, as the time of the "chosen ones" to prove their worth is indeed very short. The day of attainment is drawing to a close for them. The "first fruits" must be ripened in spirit, mellowed in love, and consumed by their self-sacrifice and severance. None other are acceptable as first fruits, and **all who fail to attain to the standard through the tests, are relegated to the "many who are called."** > >*Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha in answer to questions asked by Dr. Edward C. Getsinger*, in Star of the West, June 24, 1915, vol. 6, no. 6, 43–45. Emphasis added. ‎ #### Read, Study, and Teach > [!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*, [[Part One]], pt. 1, para. 14. Emphasis added. ‎‎ ‎ *** [Guide](site%20guide.md) | [[Sitemap]] | [[Feedback]] | [Contact](contact%20us.md) | [[Copyright]] **Dr. Leland Jensen**: Teachings and Commentaries Archive © 2026 Baha'i Council of Dane County, all rights reserved. ***