Authority, Authenticity, and Faith: A Free Baha’i Response on the Guardianship
Email 1: I always was told that Shoghi Effendi was appointed by the Master as the “Guardian” of the Faith. But then I found out that the you guys, as in, the Free Baha’is reject this idea completely calling it bogus. I wanted to understand if you can explain what are your sources to show Shoghi Effendi was not chosen by Abdu’l Baha? Answer: Dear friend, Allah’u’Abha! This question touches the very heart of what differentiates the Free Baha’i understanding of the Faith from that of the mainstream, or Haifan, Baha’is. Although we have covered it in our magazine many times, and answer to that can also be found on various Free Baha’i blogs and infact other portals like a Quora or a Red dit too. Free Baha’is believe that Shoghi Effendi was never appointed as Guardian by Abdu’l Baha, and that the Will and Testament of Abdu’l Baha, which supposedly names him as such, was not an authentic document revealed or entirely written by the Master Himself. There are several reasons behind this c...