Yes, and Ruth White would be of assistance to Herman Zimmer developing his thesis of "Political Shoghism" forty years later.
There is a long essay published in Star of the West in 1923, called "Baha'i Organization: Its basis in the revealed word" (March 1923). This isn't your usual essay. Its a committee report done by Louis G. Gregory, Agnes S. Parsons and Mariam Haney who constitute the Committee appointed by The National Spiritual Assembly in January 1923, to prepare the document on Bahai Organization. It effectively is the official rebuttal to the pilgrim's note. Earlier than this is an article by Mason Remey "Bahai Organization Notes from memory written at the request of several friends", from a talk given at the home of Herr and Frau Kommerzinrat in reply to questions of Herr Jager, Saturday, November 20, 1920, Remey refers to this pilgrims note as well: "Some of the friends of the Bahai Cause have been a little confused regarding the organization of the holy Cause because of the wide circulation of some words, to the effect that this Cause should never be organized thus some have imagined that no form of Bahai organization should exist. Now of late we are informed by pilgrims returning to their homes from Palestine that Abdul Baha has explained that these words circulated to the effect that the Cause should never be organized, give an impression very different from that of the reality of his teachings." SW, Vol. 12, p. 154 I believe the pilgrims note reads: "The Bahai Movement is not an organization. You can never organize the Bahai Cause. THE 'BAHAI MOVEMENT IS THE SPIRIT OF THIS AGE. IT IS THE ESSENCE OF ALL the highest ideals of this century. The Bahai Cause is an INCLUSIVE MOVEMENT: The teachings of all the religions and societies are found here; the Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Mohammedans, Zoroastrians, Theosophists, Freemasons, Spiritualists, et. al. find their highest aims in this Cause. Even the Socialists and philosophers find their theories fully developed in this Movement." ABDU'L BAHA. This was cited in Star of the West Vol. 5, p. 67 which is a reprint of a newspaper article [From The North Shore Review, May 16, 1914. THE BAHA'I TEMPLE AT WILMETTE* TO BE BUILT WITH MONEY FROM EVERY RACE, CLIME AND RELIGION UNDER THE SUN. BY ISABEL FRASER Interestingly the Baha'i Temple is being built with non-Bahai money as well. Isabel Fraser was an early Baha'i. The pilgrims note seems to have been repeated by George Latimer a year later in an article titled the Call of God. The title is foot noted " compiled in Stuttgart, Germany, during August, 1914. This manuscript was presented to Abdu'l Baha personally by Mr. Latimer while in Akka in October of the same year. Abdul Bah� gave consent to its publication. The Editors. SW, Vol. 6, p. 114 Not sure about the German connection here?? > > > That the Bahai Faith could not or should not be "organized". > > Dear Steve, > > Ruth White would quote a pilgrim's note which reported > Abdu'l-Baha as saying > the Baha'i Faith could never be organized. She used it to oppose Shoghi > Effendi's efforts to create the administrative order. My recollection is > that Ruth White felt of the Houses of Justice referred to in the > Aqdas were > simply secular parliaments, not religious organizations. > > warmest, Susan > ---------- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
