Ruth White (Bahá'í author)

Ruth White
Born (1867 -11-20)November 20, 1867
Brooklyn

Ruth White was an American author who was a member of the Bahá'í Faith. She became widely known as an American Bahá'í who rigorously challenged the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, one of the founding documents behind the Bahá'í administration.

Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá

The Will and Testament was written in three parts and covers a wide range of topics. It reiterates some of the fundamental teachings of the Bahá'í Faith, clearly calls out Mírzá Muhammad `Alí as being a Covenant-breaker, establishes a new institution of the Guardian and clarifies its roles as compared to those of the Universal House of Justice, and also defines the responsibilities of the Hands of the Cause.

Opposition

White was a veteran of the American Bahá'í community, having even visited `Abdu'l-Bahá in Palestine in 1920, just a year before his passing.

She challenged the appointment of Shogi Effendi as the successor of `Abdu'l-Bahá. Her claim was based in part on her belief that `Abdu'l-Bahá would never advocate for a hierarchy, much less the establishment of a "papacy".[1][2]

In particular, White challenged the idea of having Spiritual Assemblies and the appointment of Shoghi Effendi as the first Guardian, spending decades trying to stop him from assuming a position of leadership over American Bahá'ís.[3][4] During her time of opposition, White wrote several letters to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada objecting to Shoghi Effendi and the idea of Spiritual Assemblies. She wrote a letter to the United States Postmaster General requesting that the National Spiritual Assembly not be allowed to use the mail system, and she also wrote to the High Commissioners for Palestine with complaints about Shoghi Effendi. White hired a criminologist Charles Ainsworth Mitchell to review photocopies of the original Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, which she received from the National Spiritual Assembly. The photocopies were compared to other notes White had gathered of `Abdu'l-Bahá's handwriting. Mitchell's provisional report indicated that the Will was a forgery, pending inspection of the originals.[5][6] White placed Mitchell's signed report with the U.S. Library of Congress in 1930.[7]

Neither White nor Mitchell could read Persian, and her claims of a forgery were not taken up by many other Bahá'ís opposed to Shoghi Effendi, such as Ahmad Sohrab. White was one amongst a small group of Bahá'í to question the authenticity of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Will.[8][9][10] White was designated a Covenant-breaker by Shoghi Effendi, and was excommunicated sometime after 1926 when the extent of her opposition became clear.

Works

  • `Abdu'l-Bahá and the Promised Age, 1927, Appendix, 1929 entitled Is the Bahá'í Organization the Enemy of the Bahá'í Religion?. New York: J.J. Little and Ives Co., January 1929.
  • `Abdu'l-Bahá's Alleged Will is Fraudulent, 1930.
  • Correspondence Between the High Commissioner of Palestine and Ruth White, Concerning the Alleged Will and Testament of Sir `Abdul-Bahá Abbas . 11. Los Angeles, Calif. : White, 1932.
  • Bahá'í Leads out of the Labyrinth. New York: Universal Publishing Company, 132 E 65th Street, New York, 1944. Digitally republished, East Lansing, Mi.: H-Bahai, 2004.
  • `Abdu'l-Bahá's Questioned Will and Testament. Beverly Hills: Ruth White, 1946. Digitally republished, East Lansing, Mi.: H-Bahai, 2004.

See also

References

  1. ↑ White, Ruth (1946). Abdul Baha's Questioned Will and Testament. Beverly Hills, California, USA: J.J. Little and Ives Company.
  2. ↑ White, Ruth (1929). Is the Bahai Organization the Enemy of the Bahai Religion?. New York City, USA: J.J. Little and Ives Company.
  3. ↑ White, Ruth (1946). Abdul Baha's Questioned Will and Testament. Beverly Hills, California, USA: J.J. Little and Ives Company.
  4. ↑ White, Ruth (1929). Is the Bahai Organization the Enemy of the Bahai Religion?. New York City, USA: J.J. Little and Ives Company.
  5. ↑ Momen, Moojan. Studies in Honor of the Late Hasan M. Balyuzi. Vol. 5. Kalimát Press, 1988. p273-274
  6. ↑ http://freebahais.org/early-bahais/ruth-white/
  7. ↑ Bahais. "Dr. C. (Charles) Ainsworth Mitchell, Report on the Writing Shown on the Photographs of the Alleged Will of Abdu'l-Baha, Library of Congress, 1930, Ruth White".
  8. ↑ Taherzadeh, Adib (1972). The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. p. 347. ISBN 0-85398-344-5.
  9. ↑ Taherzadeh, Adib (2000). The Child of the Covenant. Oxford, UK: George Ronald. pp. 299–300. ISBN 0-85398-439-5.
  10. ↑ Rabbani, Ruhiyyih (1948). Twenty-Five Years of the Guardianship. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. p. 21.
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