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1957 – A Division


 
There are no sects in the Baha'i faith, according to its adherents. But a little research into the past will disprove them and reveal that the Bahá'i Faith has a lengthy history of conflict.

Anyone who has studied Abdul Baha's Will and Testimony will be able to see that he named Shoghi Effendi, the son of his daughter, as his successor. Furthermore, as Abdul-Baha made explicit, Shoghi Effendi was expected to choose the next guardian during his lifetime.

Shoghi Effendi had become 60 years old, thus it seems surprising that he had not bothered to draught a will. However, there is a chance that Shoghi Effendi may have indirectly selected his successor without officially informing the Baha'i community, according to some evidence that is typically provided by the pro-guardian party.

In London, Shoghi Effendi suddenly passed away on November 4, 1957. The tragic death of Shoghi added two more failed prophesies to the Baha'i Faith's long list of failed prophesies:

1. Shoghi died childlessly.

2. He died without appointing a successor. 

Due to this, two sects emerged within a short period of time after Shoghi Effendi's passing:

1. Heterodox/Mainstream Baha’is: Those who adhered to Ruhiyyah Khanum and the hands of cause eventually came to accept UHJ (without Guardian as its head).


2. Orthodox Bahai’s: Those who recognized Mason Remey as the second Baha'i Guardian and Shoghi Effendi's successor. 


Having said all of this, I can absolutely say that 1957 was a year when the prophecies of Baha'i leaders broke off and fell to the ground, even if I have no idea which sect is correct or even if this religion is genuine or no. The assertion that Baha'i is a religion without sects has been entirely disproven.

To conclude I would like to mention the statement of Mr. Eric Stetson:

“One of the biggest controversies in Baha’i history is rapidly fading out of the memory of the mainstream Baha’i community. But thanks to the internet and its vast repository of free-flowing information, the Haifa-based Baha’i Faith will never be able to cover up what happened in 1957, despite their best efforts to ignore it and minimize its importance. In that year, Baha’ism lost what was supposed to be its unending chain of infallible spiritual authority when the first Guardian of the faith died without clearly designating any successor.” Eric Stetson, under the heading, “Schism and Sectarianism in Baha’i History and Today”


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