Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant (BUPC) is a small Bahá'í sect
founded originally by Leland Jensen
in the early 1970s. The claims of the BUPC focus on a dispute in leadership following the death of Shoghi Effendi
in 1957, and a subsequent dispute among the followers of Mason Remey
. As a follower of Remey, Jensen believed that the majority of Bahá'ís were deceived, and attempted to create a new administration. Jensen also made specific predictions for worldwide catastrophes, including a specific date in 1980 for the apocalypse
, where followers were observed by researchers as a study in cognitive dissonance
.
Researchers from the University of Montana who observed the group in various studies over the course of 16 years noted that from 1980 to 1996 membership fluctuated, but probably never exceeded 200 nationwide. Adherents were mostly concentrated in Missoula, Montana
, with groups at times in Wyoming, Arkansas, Minnesota, Colorado, and Wisconsin. The group consisted of roughly 150 people leading up to 1980, but declined in size significantly following the disconfirmed prophecy, with almost all of the believers outside of Montana eventually rejecting Jensen's teachings. By 1990 the researchers claimed the BUPC probably had fewer than 100 members. With defection accelerating in the 1990s, they noted that in 1994 a membership phone list showed 66 members in Missoula, Montana, and less than 20 in other states,. A schism over leadership of the group in 2001 resulted in other defections and an unresolved court battle for control of funds. Researchers documenting religious groups in Montana in 2003 noted a community of 30 members in the headquarters of Missoula, Montana
.
's central figures: the Báb
, Bahá'u'lláh
, and `Abdu'l-Bahá
, as well as Shoghi Effendi
. The religious differences between the BUPC and the Bahá'í Faith
are essentially over leadership, although certain teachings introduced by Jensen do differ greatly, which are not accepted by the wider Baha'i community.
Unique to the BUPC, Jensen taught that the institution of the guardianship is the continuation of the Davidic line
, which he claimed Bahá'u'lláh passed onto his son, whom in turn passed the lineage on to the institution of the guardianship..
's Hands of the Cause
, declared himself the successor to Shoghi Effendi in 1960. His claim was rejected by his fellow Hands, with the reasoning that he was not a descendant of Bahá'u'lláh, or Aghsan
, nor did he have a clear appointment to the position by Shoghi Effendi. Remey based his claim on his being the president of the International Bahá'í Council
appointed by Shoghi Effendi in 1951. The result was that Remey and any followers were unanimously expelled from the Bahá'í community by the Hands of the Cause. The Universal House of Justice
later announced that it could not appoint or legislate to make possible the appointment of a second Guardian to succeed Shoghi Effendi. Jensen was among the Bahá'ís who accepted Remey to be the 2nd Guardian, and to reconcile the requirement that Guardians be Aghsan he believed Remey had been adopted by `Abdu'l-Bahá, and further that Remey's adopted son Pepe was the third Guardian, a point denied by Pepe.
. In 1969 he was convicted of performing "a lewd and lascivious act" for sexually molesting a 15-year-old female patient, and served four years of a twenty year sentence in the Montana State Prison.
It was in prison that Jensen claimed to have a revelation, and converted several dozen inmates to his idea of being the "Establisher" of the Bahá'í Faith, stemming from his belief that the administration of the religion had been corrupted, and that he was chosen by God to re-establish the administration. According to Jensen, shortly after returning to his cell,
. Jensen gained national attention when on April 26, 1980 he led a group of followers into fallout shelters, expecting an apocalyptic nuclear holocaust. He went on to predict that Halley's Comet would enter earth's orbit on April 29, 1986, and collide with the earth exactly one year later. With Jensen's approval, in the early 1990s his companion Neal Chase
made a total of 18 predictions which pertained to small-scale disasters that he claimed would lead step-by-step towards the Apocalypse
, as well as dates for a nuclear attack on New York City by middle Eastern terrorists.
set up by Shoghi Effendi, and Jensen registered it in 1993 as a non-profit corporation in Montana. He intended for it to evolve into the elected Universal House of Justice with the Guardian as its president. Believing Joseph Pepe was the Guardian, Jensen invited him to be the president of the council, but Pepe steadfastly denied being the Guardian and had no involvement with the group. After Pepe died in 1994 Jensen began hinting that Neal Chase
might be the next Guardian. Years later, justifying his claim to leadership, Chase claimed to have been secretly adopted by Pepe. After Jensen's own death in 1996, the council remained the head of the BUPC, but without a clear candidate for Guardian, and without Jensen, no new members could be appointed to the council.
claimed the title in 2001. The treasurer of the council responded by declaring Neal Chase a Covenant-breaker
, and Chase subsequently claimed that failing to recognize him as the Guardian amounted to Covenant-breaking.
The majority members of the sIBC filed a complaint on April 26, 2002, seeking an order granting damages against Chase, including interest and attorney's fees; and an injunction forbidding Chase to represent the council. Chase filed a motion to dismiss on July 15, 2003, arguing that a judicial resolution would require a court to interpret religious doctrine. The motion was granted September 29, 2003. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Montana in 2004, and a decision came February 15, 2005,
The case was remanded to the lower court for further proceedings.
Bahá'í divisions
The Bahá'í Faith has had challenges to leadership, usually, at the death of every head of the religion. The vast majority of Bahá'ís have followed a line of authority from Bahá'u'lláh to `Abdu'l-Bahá to Shoghi Effendi to the Custodians to the Universal House of Justice. Sects diverging from this...
founded originally by Leland Jensen
Leland Jensen
Leland Jensen was the founder of a Bahá'í sect called the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant . Jensen initially supported the claim of Mason Remey to be the successor to Shoghi Effendi in 1960, resulting in his excommunication from the mainstream Bahá'í community...
in the early 1970s. The claims of the BUPC focus on a dispute in leadership following the death of Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
in 1957, and a subsequent dispute among the followers of Mason Remey
Mason Remey
Charles Mason Remey was a prominent and controversial American Bahá'í who was appointed in 1951 a Hand of the Cause, and president of the International Bahá'í Council...
. As a follower of Remey, Jensen believed that the majority of Bahá'ís were deceived, and attempted to create a new administration. Jensen also made specific predictions for worldwide catastrophes, including a specific date in 1980 for the apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
, where followers were observed by researchers as a study in cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Dissonance is also reduced by justifying,...
.
Researchers from the University of Montana who observed the group in various studies over the course of 16 years noted that from 1980 to 1996 membership fluctuated, but probably never exceeded 200 nationwide. Adherents were mostly concentrated in Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
, with groups at times in Wyoming, Arkansas, Minnesota, Colorado, and Wisconsin. The group consisted of roughly 150 people leading up to 1980, but declined in size significantly following the disconfirmed prophecy, with almost all of the believers outside of Montana eventually rejecting Jensen's teachings. By 1990 the researchers claimed the BUPC probably had fewer than 100 members. With defection accelerating in the 1990s, they noted that in 1994 a membership phone list showed 66 members in Missoula, Montana, and less than 20 in other states,. A schism over leadership of the group in 2001 resulted in other defections and an unresolved court battle for control of funds. Researchers documenting religious groups in Montana in 2003 noted a community of 30 members in the headquarters of Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
.
Beliefs
The BUPC profess adherence to all the writings of the Bahá'í FaithBahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
's central figures: the Báb
Báb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
, Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
, and `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
, as well as Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
. The religious differences between the BUPC and the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
are essentially over leadership, although certain teachings introduced by Jensen do differ greatly, which are not accepted by the wider Baha'i community.
Unique to the BUPC, Jensen taught that the institution of the guardianship is the continuation of the Davidic line
Davidic line
The Davidic line refers to the tracing of lineage to the King David referred to in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the New Testament...
, which he claimed Bahá'u'lláh passed onto his son, whom in turn passed the lineage on to the institution of the guardianship..
Guardianship
Charles Mason Remey, one of Shoghi EffendiShoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
's Hands of the Cause
Hands of the Cause
The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life, whose main function was to propagate and protect the Bahá'í Faith...
, declared himself the successor to Shoghi Effendi in 1960. His claim was rejected by his fellow Hands, with the reasoning that he was not a descendant of Bahá'u'lláh, or Aghsan
Aghsán
Aghṣán , is a term in literature of the Bahá'í Faith referring to male descendants of Bahá'u'lláh.It has particular implications not only for the disposition of endowments but also for the succession of authority following the passing of Bahá'u'lláh and of his son `Abdu'l-Bahá....
, nor did he have a clear appointment to the position by Shoghi Effendi. Remey based his claim on his being the president of the International Bahá'í Council
International Bahá'í Council
The International Bahá'í Council was an administrative institution of the Bahá'í Faith, first created in 1951 as a precursor to the Universal House of Justice, which replaced it in 1963.-Formation:...
appointed by Shoghi Effendi in 1951. The result was that Remey and any followers were unanimously expelled from the Bahá'í community by the Hands of the Cause. The Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
later announced that it could not appoint or legislate to make possible the appointment of a second Guardian to succeed Shoghi Effendi. Jensen was among the Bahá'ís who accepted Remey to be the 2nd Guardian, and to reconcile the requirement that Guardians be Aghsan he believed Remey had been adopted by `Abdu'l-Bahá, and further that Remey's adopted son Pepe was the third Guardian, a point denied by Pepe.
Leland Jensen
In 1963 Mason Remey set up a National Assembly in the United States, which was dissolved in 1966. Leland Jensen was among the members elected in 1963, and in 1964 he left the group during a time of disputes among the members and moved to Missoula, MontanaMissoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
. In 1969 he was convicted of performing "a lewd and lascivious act" for sexually molesting a 15-year-old female patient, and served four years of a twenty year sentence in the Montana State Prison.
It was in prison that Jensen claimed to have a revelation, and converted several dozen inmates to his idea of being the "Establisher" of the Bahá'í Faith, stemming from his belief that the administration of the religion had been corrupted, and that he was chosen by God to re-establish the administration. According to Jensen, shortly after returning to his cell,
"I felt a presence only. I saw nobody. I saw no dove, no burning bush or anything of that nature. It talked to me- not in a physical voice, but very vividly expressing to me that I was the Promised Joshua."
Prophecies
Jensen began teaching as early as 1971 that in 1980 the world would be cleansed of evil by a nuclear holocaustNuclear holocaust
Nuclear holocaust refers to the possibility of the near complete annihilation of human civilization by nuclear warfare. Under such a scenario, all or most of the Earth is made uninhabitable by nuclear weapons in future world wars....
. Jensen gained national attention when on April 26, 1980 he led a group of followers into fallout shelters, expecting an apocalyptic nuclear holocaust. He went on to predict that Halley's Comet would enter earth's orbit on April 29, 1986, and collide with the earth exactly one year later. With Jensen's approval, in the early 1990s his companion Neal Chase
Neal Chase
Neal Chase is the disputed leader of a small Bahá'í sect known as the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant , which was last known to have fewer than 100 members in 1990, mostly concentrated in Montana, and declined rapidly in the 1990s...
made a total of 18 predictions which pertained to small-scale disasters that he claimed would lead step-by-step towards the Apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
, as well as dates for a nuclear attack on New York City by middle Eastern terrorists.
sIBC
In 1991 Jensen appointed 12 members to a second International Bahá'í Council (sIBC) modeled on the International Bahá'í CouncilInternational Bahá'í Council
The International Bahá'í Council was an administrative institution of the Bahá'í Faith, first created in 1951 as a precursor to the Universal House of Justice, which replaced it in 1963.-Formation:...
set up by Shoghi Effendi, and Jensen registered it in 1993 as a non-profit corporation in Montana. He intended for it to evolve into the elected Universal House of Justice with the Guardian as its president. Believing Joseph Pepe was the Guardian, Jensen invited him to be the president of the council, but Pepe steadfastly denied being the Guardian and had no involvement with the group. After Pepe died in 1994 Jensen began hinting that Neal Chase
Neal Chase
Neal Chase is the disputed leader of a small Bahá'í sect known as the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant , which was last known to have fewer than 100 members in 1990, mostly concentrated in Montana, and declined rapidly in the 1990s...
might be the next Guardian. Years later, justifying his claim to leadership, Chase claimed to have been secretly adopted by Pepe. After Jensen's own death in 1996, the council remained the head of the BUPC, but without a clear candidate for Guardian, and without Jensen, no new members could be appointed to the council.
Leadership dispute
In 2001, a long-running dispute about the identity of the Guardian broke the group into schism. Since Pepe died in 1994 the identity of the Guardian was ambiguous to Jensen's followers, and Neal ChaseNeal Chase
Neal Chase is the disputed leader of a small Bahá'í sect known as the Bahá'ís Under the Provisions of the Covenant , which was last known to have fewer than 100 members in 1990, mostly concentrated in Montana, and declined rapidly in the 1990s...
claimed the title in 2001. The treasurer of the council responded by declaring Neal Chase a Covenant-breaker
Covenant-breaker
A Covenant-breaker or the act of Covenant-breaking is a term used by Bahá'ís to refer to a particular form of heresy. Being declared a Covenant-breaker by the head of the Faith — which since 1963 refers to the elected nine-member Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá'ís....
, and Chase subsequently claimed that failing to recognize him as the Guardian amounted to Covenant-breaking.
The majority members of the sIBC filed a complaint on April 26, 2002, seeking an order granting damages against Chase, including interest and attorney's fees; and an injunction forbidding Chase to represent the council. Chase filed a motion to dismiss on July 15, 2003, arguing that a judicial resolution would require a court to interpret religious doctrine. The motion was granted September 29, 2003. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Montana in 2004, and a decision came February 15, 2005,
"Chase argues that the Guardianship, a religious office, vests him with the presidency of the corporation, a secular one, and that it is through holding the latter that he rightfully controls the corporate property. The presidency thus serves in this instance as the temporal nexus between the world of faith, represented by the Guardianship, and the secular world, in which laws define the relationships between persons, corporate or otherwise, and property."
"This dispute revolves around two basic issues: the composition of the Board, and the powers of the presidency in relation to the church property... The District Court has no power either to anoint a successor to any religious office, or to invalidate any claim thereto. If these two issues can be resolved on purely secular grounds, then the District Court can apply corporate, property, and tort law in deciding the merits of the Board’s conversion and other claims against Chase."
The case was remanded to the lower court for further proceedings.
Newspaper articles
- Bradlee, Eva (24 November 2001). "A Bahá'í perspective on spiritual destiny". The MissoulianMissoulianThe Missoulian is a daily newspaper printed in Missoula, Montana. Its circulation is 34,855 on Sundays, 30,466 on weekdays. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Missoulian is the 2nd largest published newspaper in Montana, just behind the Billings Gazette...
- "Bahá'í: Deer Lodge Sanctuary" (January 29, 1991). The MissoulianMissoulianThe Missoulian is a daily newspaper printed in Missoula, Montana. Its circulation is 34,855 on Sundays, 30,466 on weekdays. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Missoulian is the 2nd largest published newspaper in Montana, just behind the Billings Gazette...
. Front page.
- Woods, Victor (23 November 2002). "Local Bahá'ís Share Covenant Celebration". The MissoulianMissoulianThe Missoulian is a daily newspaper printed in Missoula, Montana. Its circulation is 34,855 on Sundays, 30,466 on weekdays. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Missoulian is the 2nd largest published newspaper in Montana, just behind the Billings Gazette...
.
- “Local Bahá'í Leader dead at 81”. August 8, 1996. MissoulianMissoulianThe Missoulian is a daily newspaper printed in Missoula, Montana. Its circulation is 34,855 on Sundays, 30,466 on weekdays. The newspaper is owned by Lee Enterprises. The Missoulian is the 2nd largest published newspaper in Montana, just behind the Billings Gazette...
p. B2.
- "Millennial Fever" (July 17, 1997). Missoula Independent. Front Page.
- “Ezekiel’s Temple in Montana!” (9 February 1991). The Montana Standard. Front Page.