iscussion is not the place for a review of the nature and provisions of
the specific Covenant by means of which Baha'u'llah has successfully
preserved the unity of those who recognize Him and serve His purpose. It
is sufficient to note the strength of the language He reserves for its
deliberate violation by those who simultaneously pretend allegiance to it:
"They that have turned away therefrom are reckoned among the inmates of
the nethermost fire in the sight of thy Lord, the Almighty, the
Unconstrained."(61) The reason for the severity of this condemnation is
obvious. Few people have difficulty in recognizing the danger to social
well-being of such familiar crimes as murder, rape or fraud, nor the need
for society to take effective measures of self-protection. But how are
Baha'is to think about a perversity which, if unchecked, would destroy the
very means essential to the creation of unity--would, in the uncompromising
words of the Master, "become even as an axe striking at the very root of
the Blessed Tree"?(62) The issue is not one of intellectual dissent, nor
even of moral weakness. Many people are resistant to accepting authority
of one kind or another, and eventually distance themselves from
circumstances that require it. Persons who have been attracted to the
Baha'i Faith but who decide, for whatever reason, to leave it are entirely
free to do so.

Covenant-breaking is a phenomenon fundamentally different in nature. The
impulse it arouses in those under its influence is not simply to pursue
freely whatever path they believe leads to personal fulfilment or
contribution to society. Rather, are such persons driven by an apparently
ungovernable determination to impose their personal will on the community
by any means available to them, without regard for the damage done and
without respect for the solemn undertakings they entered into on being
accepted as members of that community. Ultimately, the self becomes the
overriding authority, not only in the individual's own life, but in
whatever other lives can be successfully influenced. As long and tragic
experience has demonstrated all too certainly, endowments such as
distinguished lineage, intellect, education, piety or social leadership
can be harnessed, equally, to the service of humanity or to that of
personal ambition. In ages past, when spiritual priorities of a different
nature were the focus of the Divine purpose, the consequences of such
rebellion did not vit