Dr. Leland Jensen / **Letters** # **Letter to Bradley Hurd, Editor of the Missoulian** #### **Dr. Leland Jensen** ###### April 9, 1985 [↓ PDF](https://leland-jensen-info.netlify.app/1985-04-09-jensen-to-bradley-hurd-missoulian.pdf) --- **Dear Mr. Hurd,** Missoulian reporter Deanna Rider, who is known to hold a prejudicial attitude toward me, Leland Jensen, wrote an article libeling me and smearing my image. I demand a retraction. Her libelous act was to quote Mike Wood, without checking to see if what he said about me was true. As it was not true, but a damn lie, she libeled me in her article titled “Missoula Members of the Baha’i Faith Prepare for the New Year,” printed March 16, 1985, on the religious page. She states, according to Mike Wood: "Their leader (Leland Jensen) was expelled from the Baha'i Faith in 1960." This is not true. I have never been expelled from the Baha'i Faith. I am seventy years old and I was born to Baha'i parents before the Baha'i Administration was even created. I am a third generation Baha'i, and both my parents were active Baha'is before they married and conceived me. My grandparents on my mother's side were also Baha'is. They were among the first Baha'is in America, and were blessed by 'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'u'llah's son, when he first visited America. All this was before the Baha'i Administration was even created in 1923. In 1960 I voluntarily withdrew from the Baha'i Administration on the advice of the guardian of the Baha'i Faith. He had pointed out to me that the Baha'i Administration was apostate, meaning it had abandoned the provisions of the Covenant. I held to the Baha'i Faith in its original form, with the guardian as its sacred head, while the administration made a departure from this by doing away with the guardianship under their administration. Baha'u'llah is the founder of the Baha'i Faith. His Covenant has divine authority, because of the promise God gave David. That promise was: >I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: ‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ > >(Psalms 89:3, 4) *(See also, 2 Samuel 7:4, 5, and 12-17, and Isaiah 9:6 and 7.)* Baha'u'llah fulfilled this promise by fulfilling the prophecies for the return of one from David's line of descent. The line of guardians that Baha'u'llah set up are from Baha'u'llah's descent. Therefore, the guardianship, the Covenant of Baha'u'llah, and the *Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha*, all get their divine authority from the fact that Baha'u'llah fulfilled a divine promise. The guardian is the head of the Baha'i Faith, and must be a descendent of David. His main duty is to guard the faith from apostasy and heresy. Only the guardian can decide the question of heresy and he alone can expel someone from the Baha'i Faith. The Hands of the Baha'i Faith rebelled against the first and second guardians, and the guardianship itself. They thus took over the Baha'i Administration and made it apostate. The Hands of the faith, by the provisions of the Covenant, are appointed by the guardian, and they are to be under his direction. Their main function is to assist and defend the guardian and guardianship. They had no authority to take over the Baha'i Administration, and they have no authority to expel anyone from the faith. When Baha'u'llah died, He left a Covenant which stated that all Baha'is should turn to His son, 'Abdu'l-Baha. When 'Abdu'l-Baha died, he left a *Will and Testament* appointing the first guardian. 'Abdu'l-Baha's only son had died in infancy, so he adopted Mason Remey to replace him. (Refer to *Star of The West*, an early Baha'i newsletter.) However, in his *Will and Testament*, 'Abdu'l-Baha appointed his grandson named Shoghi Effendi, to become the guardian of the Cause of God. He then stated that Shoghi Effendi must appoint his successor. The guardianship is a hereditary office of the descendents of David. In Persian, the word for these descendents is "Aghsan," meaning "Branch." Therefore, during his lifetime, Shoghi Effendi appointed the only Aghsan eligible to be the guardian, Mason Remey, who was 'Abdu'l-Baha's adopted son. He appointed Mason Remey by making him president of the International Baha'i Council (1951), which was the embryonic Universal House of Justice (U.H.J.). The head of the UHJ is the Guardian. An adopted son has all the rights of inheritance that a natural son would have. Mason Remey therefore, met the two requirements necessary to be the guardian of the Baha'i Faith: he inherited the throne of David, and he was appointed to be Shoghi. Effendi's successor. The throne of David is now established back in the world according to God's promise. With the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957, the Hands of the faith rebelled against Mason Remey and took over the Baha'i Administration. The guardian chose not to expel these Hands, or expose what they were doing, at that time, because they had agreed to be obedient to all the plans that Shoghi Effendi had made before his passing. The gist of those plans was for the International Baha'i Council to become the Baha'i World Court in 1963. In 1959, however, the Hands entered into a conclave, or secret meeting, and voted to do away with Shoghi Effendi's plan so they could implement a plan of their own. Their plan was to establish the Baha'i Universal House of Justice without the ingredients delineated in 'Abdu'l-Baha's *Will and Testament*. Those ingredients are: that the Universal House of Justice be elected by Baha'i Secondary Houses of Justice from all nations in the world, and that it have the guardian as its sacred head. The Universal House of Justice cannot be established until all nations become Baha'i, and elect Secondary Houses of Justice. Then these Secondary Houses of Justice will elect the Universal House of Justice. The guardian will be its sacred head. There is not a single Baha'i nation, and the same was true in ’59. Also, the Hands rejected the continuation of the guardianship. Therefore, their plan to establish the Universal House of Justice is an absolute impossibility and a glaring apostasy. Due to this apostasy, the guardian had no choice but to expose the Hands, activities, and expel them from the Baha'i Faith. He did this in a proclamation in April of 1960. After I examined the facts very carefully, I called the administration and asked them to remove my name from their rolls. The mass of the Baha'is worldwide, however, did not examine the facts, because of an anathema contrived by the Hands, which forbid the Baha'is to investigate for themselves. The Hands threatened expulsion from the administrative order which alluded to expulsion from the faith, and excommunication. The Baha'is were confused. The mass of them were not well grounded in the provisions of the Covenant, and they did not know that the Hands had no authority to expel them. The Hands smeared the guardian worldwide, stating that he was senile, that he had broken the Covenant, and that he should be shunned. They did not do this to protect the faith, but to sustain their takeover of the Baha'i Administration. The guardian gave the Baha'is until 1966 to investigate the matter and return to the provisions of the Covenant. When the Baha'is failed to exercise their prerogative to follow one of the twelve basic principles of the Baha'i Faith, which is "the independent investigation of the truth," he expelled the administration from the Baha'i Faith, as it was now apostate and didn't have its roots in the Covenant. Thus, all those who call themselves Baha'is, who are still in the apostate administration, are no longer in the Baha'i World Faith. The Hands were expelled in 1960, and the whole Baha'i Administration was expelled in 1966. Mike Wood is one of those deluded souls who is so frightened by the anathema contrived by the Hands, and of spending eternity in hell, that he accepts in toto the apostate theologies that were created to circumvent the Covenant. Because he didn't investigate the truth for himself, he, in his ignorance, becomes the deluder of others such as Deanna Rider and your staff. It’s all right with me if she wants to be deluded by him, but when she libels me with this lie of these Covenant-breakers, that's another matter. This is the state we find the Baha'is in today. The Hands maliciously, knowingly, and wantonly created a theology to seduce the Baha'is into support their plan to take over the direction of the Baha'i Faith in opposition to the Covenant. They taught this to the Baha'is all over the world in the interim between their takeover in 1957, and the guardian's proclamation in 1960, and they are still teaching this apostasy. The mass of the believers thus lined up solidly behind the Hands, who had induced them to believe they had been acting to protect the faith when they made their anathema against the independent investigation of truth. Thus the apostate Baha'is refuse to have any association with me or with any other Baha'i under the provisions of the Covenant. Thus they slandered me. Their purpose was to have your paper libel me, so their followers would be assured of continued ignorance. They hope none of their followers will break rank and investigate the truth for themselves, so they become permanent victims of the great apostasy. Thus, their slander and your libel, maliciously damaged my image, to serve the purpose of the Covenant-breakers. Should you be sued for libel to serve their purpose? Should you retract the libelous statement and the biased reporting, this would then open the way for those who are willing to seek the truth.   **Special Note to the Editor** Some people think the Baha'i Faith is some sort of oriental cult that should be treated with derision and ridicule, making it open season for libel. If the Baha'i Faith is an oriental cult, then so are Christianity and Judaism, because Baha'u'llah, like Jesus Christ, was a direct descendent of King David (Matthew 1:6-16). Hal Lindsey tells about two Christs in his book *The Late Great Planet Earth*. Eighteen million copies of this book have been sold, and it is still on the best seller list. He states on page 18 that two Messiahs were prophesied by Old Testament prophets. The word Messiah is derived from the Hebrew words "Messiah ben David," which mean "a descendent of David who has been anointed." Lindsey says one Messiah would be a suffering Messiah who would suffer for others, and the other would be a conquering king who would save man from self-destruction at the time of a global war. Lindsey points out that this king places the Israelites who believe in Him as the spiritual and secular leaders of the world, bringing in an age free of prejudice and injustice. This Messiah could be termed the "reigning Messiah." According to Lindsey: >Jesus himself pointed out to them Old Testament prophecies concerning His life and ministry which were being fulfilled in His life. > >(Hal Lindsey, *The Late Great Planet Earth*, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1970, ch. 3, p. 29.) Similarly, Baha'u'llah pointed out how he fulfilled the prophecies for the second Messiah. He showed in the scriptures, where his name, the date of His proclamation, the place of His appearance, and the purpose of His coming were all prophesied. *(Also see Isaiah 2:2–4, 9:6–7, 11:1–11, concerning the coming of David's throne and the Universal House of Justice.)* In his book, Lindsey asked:   **The Big Question** >Why did the majority of the Jewish people, who knew the teachings of their prophets, reject Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah when he came? > >(Ibid.) Naturally, said Lindsey, Jesus didn't fit the Jewish clergy's cadre in interpretations. God doesn't fulfill the imaginations of the people. So it is today with the Christians. Their leaders have built up a tradition of interpretations which are as bizarre as those of the Jewish leaders; and naturally Baha'u'llah didn't fulfill their imaginations. Baha'u'llah, who was the second Messiah, re-established David's throne and lineage back into this world, with His Covenant. There, He appointed His eldest son (Aghsan, meaning the Branch), 'Abdu'l- Baha, to be His successor. This Branch is prophesied throughout the Old Testament. >I will raise unto David a righteous Branch. > >(Jeremiah 23:5) >I will bring forth my servant the Branch. > >(Zechariah 3:8) *(Also, Isaiah 4:2, 11:1, 60:21, and Jeremiah 33:15…)* 'Abdu'l-Baha, the most Great BRANCH, continued this lineage from David in his *Will and Testament* (p. 11). He appointed Shoghi Effendi, his grandson, to be his successor. He then states that if the guardian's son doesn't possess the spiritual qualities, he should choose another branch: >It is incumbent upon the guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own lifetime him that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing … should … his glorious lineage may not be matched with a goodly character, then must he (the Guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him. > >('Abdu'l-Baha, *Will and Testament*, p.12.) Shoghi Effendi didn't have an issue so he chose 'Abdu'l-Baha's adopted son to be his successor, thus fulfilling the provisions of the Covenant and continuing the lineage of David. Daniel prophesied that once this kingdom is set up, it will endure forever: >And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, *but* it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. > >(Daniel 2:44) The so-called "Hands" would rather do away with the re-established Davidic throne and throw out God's Kingdom that will "stand forever." In 1963 they tried to do away with the guardianship which is the Davidic throne, and they abolished Shoghi Effendi's Baha'i Court that was to effloresce into the Baha'i Universal House of Justice. Instead they established a republic that has no king, to replace the Kingdom of God. Who ever heard of the Republic of God? No republic of God is prophesied in the Bible. They elected their republic through National Spiritual Assemblies from a few countries, instead of waiting for those nations to become Baha'i nations with Secondary Houses of Justice. Their republic has no guardian, thus do not have David's line of descent, sitting at its head. This is a violation of the Covenant. The big question is, when we sent in a news release about our Baha'i New Year celebration, why did Deanna Rider call up members of this Covenant-breaking outfit? They have been expelled from the Baha'i World Faith by the guardian, because of a long list of violations of Baha'u'llah's Covenant and 'Abdu'l-Baha's W*ill and Testament*. They took over the Baha'i Administration, making it apostate, and established a republic in the place of God's Kingdom. Deanna Rider added what they had to say to our release, and she libeled me in the process. We have nothing to do with them. We are two entirely different bodies. They have separated themselves from the Cause of God, and have been declared Covenant-breakers. When the Baptists send in a news release, does your paper have a policy to call the Lutherans, a separate group of Christians, and then print a bunch of garbage surrounding the Baptists' release? Why does your paper take sides when it knows nothing about the facts? To further prove Deanna Rider's bias, she called Ethel May Crane and asked her how many believers we have, Crane told her we have over 100. Why then did she print in the article that their group consisted of 35 members, while she completely neglected to mention the number who are under the provisions of the Covenant? She was trying to prejudice the public and libel me with a biased diatribe. I am well aware of the law on libel. Therefore, I am writing you this letter, showing deliberate bias and libel. I am asking you to retract this and apologize within a week of this letter. **Dr. Leland Jensen**   --- **Document Details** - **Type:** Letter - **Date:** April 9, 1985 - **Author:** Dr. Leland Jensen - **Recipient:** Bradley Hurd, editor of The Missoulian, Missoula, Montana. - **Length:** 5 pages (estimated). - **Enclosure:** None mentioned. - **Purpose:** A reply to the article "Missoula Members of the Baha'i Faith Prepare for the New Year," published in The Missoulian on March 16, 1985. - **Summary Note:** None. - **Editorial Note:** Lightly edited for clarity, typographic consistency, and web readability. Paragraph structure and substantive wording remain unchanged. Edits include correcting spelling or grammar, standardizing citations, and verifying quotations. **Archivist Notes:** None. **Archive Classification** - **Collection:** Dr. Leland Jensen → Letters **Reference Information** - **Permanent Link:** https://leland-jensen.info/letters/1985-04-09-bradley-hurd-missoulian/ - **Download PDF:** [1985-04-09-jensen-to-bradley-hurd-missoulian.pdf](https://leland-jensen-info.netlify.app/1985-04-09-jensen-to-bradley-hurd-missoulian.pdf) - **Citation (Chicago Style):** Jensen, Dr. Leland. "Letter to Bradely Hurd, editor of the Missoulian, April 9, 1985." Unpublished letter, Missoula, MT, April 9, 1985. Circulated by the author during his lifetime; subsequently circulated among students. Leland Jensen Archive. 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