The Washington herald., 1912-04-29
.LIEEN ABDUL BAHIA
TO FORTY THIEVES
Pastors Bitterly Assail Ba-
haism and Its Chief
Apostle.
FALSE OR A FOOL"
Rev. DR.. Jane. M. NJ. Gray Declare.
Abdul Is Either Mentally De-
hcient or Dishonest.
FALSE OR A FOOL

Rev. DR.. James M M Gray, pastor OF
the Hamline NJ. E. Church. Ninth and r
Streets Northwest. made & vigorous at.
tack on Bahaism and its basic principles
in a sermon last night The text OF DR.
Gray's sermon was Abdul BAHIA and the
Forty Thieves" the comparison being. he
said, in the craftiness OF All Baba, who
took advantage Of the householder's hos
pltality with the intent 70 rob and Kill
under the cover OF darkness.
Not only did the pastor use this form
OF attack, but he supplemented II with a
declaration that Abdul BAHIA, leader OF
the new cult. is mentaIiy deficient or
mentally dishonest. in that he has been
preaching a doctrine during his visit to
the United States wholly different from
the teachings of the BAHIA Scriptures.
| He also referred to Abdul as either false
or a fool, and declared that he is incom-
petent to teach men.
DIR. Montgomery Speaks.
BahaIsm was aIsJ discussed by an
other pastor. Rev. DR.. James S. Mont
gomery, of the Metropolitan NJ. z.
| Church, John Marshall Place, dwelling
at length upon the inconsistency OF the
new reliRfon in a sermon last night.
DR.. Montgomery subscribed the large
following OF Abdul to the popular ap-
petite" which expresses itself In
criticism OF tenets and traditions, and
feasts upon an analysis that destroys.
The pastor made it plain from the be-
ginning Of his sermon that he was not
attempting to ridicule Abdul BAHIA, and
that he believed the Persian to be a man
OF sincerity. He called attention to the
fact, however, that Abdul admits "one
stupendous fact-the vicarious Christ,
who must forever remain as the sub
limest expression of the fatherhood OF
God.I'
A large congregation heard DR.. Gray's
sermon. which was a succession Of
teachings Of the Bahaists. DR.. Gray
said in part:
''Bahaism ignores the fact Of sin and
has no place for Savior. claiming that
the race Is simply to be instructed, and
naming Mohammed and the eleven IL
lusive manifestations Of him and the
three leaders of MISUNDERSTANDING
Christ, also-as the teachers OF the race.
Abdul BAHIA and his predecessors say
that they are the gate to God; Simon
Peter, lowered by the spirit, declared
that neither is there any name under
heaven that Is given among men where
in we must be saved" But accept the
claims Of Abdul and read the character
istic utterances of the New Testament
accordingly and what have you? God
so loved the world that he gave Moses
and Christ and Mohammed and the
Bah and Bah Ulla, and Abdul BAHIA that
whosoever is instructed by them might
not perish"
Sect Permits POIyEamy.
''Bahaism claims to fulhn the New
Testament prophecies and especially
claims that the paraclete. the comforter,
as we have II translated. means No
hammed. Whatever influence you have
felt strangely sustaining in trial, lead
ing in bewilderment, comforting in af-
Fiction, you have said was the Holy
Spirit Not so, says Bahaism-Moham-
med. And we change our New Testa-
ment again and read: And 1 will pray
the Father and he will send you Mo
hammed. that he may be with you for
ever. even the spirit of truth! But
when Mohammed is come, whom I will
send unto you from the Father, he shall
bear witness of me-
abdul preached the Fatherhood of
God. But his most holy book OF Ba-
haism which contains the doctrines of
the sect has no conception OF the kind.
1t wsvers between agnosticism and pan
theism. and eliminates in the following
exact translation:
God, singiy and alone, abideth in
His own place. which is holy, above
space and time, mention and utterance.
sign, description and definition, height
and depth And again and again It is
explicitly stated The way Is closed and
seeking is forbidden Now II God is
thus unknowable and the way is closed
and seeking II forbidden, how does Abdul
BAHIA know what God is7 How does he
know that he Is Father
Abdul BAHIA has preached in this
country a totally different faith from
that defined in his most holy book and
in the other literature of Rahaism. His
father defended the sinlessness OF
Mohammad. and was himself a poIyga-
mist-and Bahaism permits polygamy un-
der certain restrictions. His most holy
book prescribes rites and forms and
tho very things which Abdul disparaged
here. In other words, he breaches one
Bahaism In America and a totally dif-
ferent Bahaism In Persia, concealing
here the tenets Of the sect, and what he |
proclslms as Bahaism here cannot be
developed from the Scriptures Of the
faith.
Either he knows these facts or he
does not. In sither case he forfeits his |
right TO teach men, He Is either men
tally dishonest or mentally deficient. |
either false or a fool
Crane for the New.
DR.. Montgomery also preached to a
large congregation. In part. he said:
There is abroad to-day a craze for |
the new, for the novel. and for the
spectacular. The popular appetite ex-
presses itself in criticism of tenets and
traditions. The passion for dissection Is
abroad. The day ssems to feast upon an
analysis that destroys.
Il make fun Of no mans religion.
believe that BAHIA Is a man of sincerity. |
Men do not die for whims and opinions. |
but they do die for convictions. and his
own have suffered to the full in perse- |
cution, Incarceration and death. He
teaches and emphasizes many whole
some truths, such as the millennium Of
universal peace and the universally OF
the brotherhood OF man. but there Is one |
stupendous fact that he omits-the Vica-
rious Christ. who. must forever remain |
as the sublimest expression OF the Ia
therhood Of God"
Want white stars Charter Revoked.