Baháʼí Faith in Greater Boston

Most prominent were Harlan Ober, William Henry Randall, and Alfred E. Lunt, who served in events in the Boston area, Green Acre boards, and national institutions of the religion.

Claiming descent from an ancient prophet king, he was yet, like Jesus, born in a lowly station; still he was regarded by his followers as the sovereign of his nation and of mankind, whose advent had been long foretold and ardently expected.

After leading a life of purity, and uttering words of wisdom, he was put to death, through the hostility of his own government, but by the hands of foreign soldiers; and, before his execution, he was denied by some of his most prominent followers; nay, the very form of contumely with which they were compelled to treat him, was the same which had been used towards the Savior in the hall of the high priest.

It is high honor for a teacher of wisdom thus to bear in his own history a resemblance to that of the Redeemer and we would fain believe that Mirza Ali Mohammed was worthy of the distinction.

But we cannot forget that the claim was made for him, that he was "the Gate of Truth, the Imam of Islam," the subject of ancient prophecy, the worker of present miracles, and the destined possessor of universal empire ...[23]Though later than the Bábí period perse, Unitarian minister born, educated, and worked often in Massachusetts, James Thompson Bixby wrote about the religion in 1897[24] and made a student journal of Boston College doing so.

[31] Thornton Chase (February 22, 1847 – September 30, 1912) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts[30] and was a U.S. businessman and writer; he was commonly recognized as the first convert to the Baháʼí Faith of Occidental background.

[54] Alice Ives Breed, Florence's mother, originally from Pavilion, Illinois, born Jan 15, 1853, was a leading philanthropist socialite of the area.

[65] The first known connection with Baháʼís is when Vail's group hosted "Amir Ullah Fareed", who was listed as a student of the Medical College of the University, and who spoke on April 28, 1907.

On March 24, 1910, the assembly was composed of:[37] officers Harlan Ober, Grace Robarts, Julia Culver, George Ostburg, and members Mrs. H. Sprague; Mrs. F. Goddard, Alice Ives Breed, Helen Campbell, and Mrs. E. Flees.

[126] The talk was about ways of knowing the truth - he disavowed individual approaches like pure reason, simple authority, individual inspiration, etc., but affirmed: [A] statement presented to the mind accompanied by proofs which the senses can perceive to be correct, which the faculty of reason can accept, which is in accord with traditional authority and sanctioned by the promptings of the heart, can be adjudged and relied upon as perfectly correct, for it has been proved and tested by all the standards of judgment and found to be complete.

Being introduced in a crowd, he was embarrassed at his dirty appearance and then was told to sit down amid the company of people in fine dress and wait, but soon ʻAbdu'l-Bahá returned and began to speak closely with Mortensen.

Later he said: Six years ago I met a servant of God named Abdul Baha, so universal in mind, brilliant in utterance, so pure, so radiant with universal love, so majestic in the power of his holy spirit that I became convinced he and his equally perfect and glorious father, Baha o'llah, were God's own messengers of light and salvation to our modern world ...[132]ʻAbdu'l-Bahá then left for Montreal, arriving near midnight on 30 August 1912.

As early as January 1913, Albert Vail, then a Unitarian Minister, was visibly promulgating the religion,[133] and was listed as the delegate to the "Bahai Temple Unity" national convention from the Urbana Baháʼí community.

[134] He reported on developments in Urbana, Illinois of study of the Baháʼí teachings and seems to quote the Writings saying: "It is remarkable to observe how the Spirit seems to catch and hold one, and the whole life seems set aflame as to the Truth.

[135] Both accounts lamented that the speech was not written down, but one said it traced the proofs of Manifestation, noting the martyrdoms of Persia, the need for divine authority to solve human problems, and the lives of the Central Figures of the Faith.

[138][139] Following this, Kate Ives, the first Baháʼí of Boston, wrote a letter to the editor inviting Portsmouth residents to a talk on the religion.

[195] The Ober family purchased a home near Green Acre in 1932[196] and Harlan soon was reading on the radio at WHEB weekly after noon from Spring into the Fall from 1933 into 1935,(with occasional gaps.

[204][205] In November 1934, Ober gave a talk in Eliot for the Christian Endeavor Society,[206] a Zeta Alpha Men's Club of a Baptist church.

[248][249][250] The Brush family interacted with ʻAbdu'l-Bahá and the Baháʼís while in Dublin in July and August 1912, especially during an annual out-of-doors play as well as a visit to their farm,[249][251][252] but her first husband died unexpectedly in September.

[255] She then credits Randall, Louise Drake Wright and her sister Mrs. George Nelson as aiding her inquiry into the religion while she read books like Baháʼu'lláh and the New Era.

[263] Harold died in August 1964 and their home at 12 Pine Street became the official Baháʼí Center of the community in 1967 at which Guy Murchie gave a talk for the opening ceremony.

[265] 1972 she was noted for a Portsmouth Friends of the Library,[266] spoke at Meriden Connecticut on her memory of meeting ʻAbdu'l-Bahá,[267] and aided in costumes for play at Keene State College.

[148][270][271] His approach of advocating for business development as a means to promote the interests of humanity was challenged, that it would be fruitless for higher aims unless personal transformation were brought to bear.

[273][274] He advocated for the Baháʼí Faith but was often misunderstood,[148][275][276] though he did so with a limited understanding of the principles of the religion and proceeded to set up events aimed at raising awareness of the suffering of the unemployed in New York and Boston.

[292] Beginning in 1907 James Ferdinand Morton, (October 18, 1870 – October 7, 1941,) published a series of articles under "Fragments of a Mental Autobiography" in a journal named Libra[293] which outlines his religious background beginning with Baptist family heritage, goes through Unitarian relatives, and Theosophy exploration,[294] (he was president of the Boston Theosophical Society in 1895)[295] and placing Jesus and the Buddha among those on the highest level of his admiration even if he found fault with all scripture and organized religion.

It held place for what was best in Christianity, Judaism, Mohammedanism, Buddhism, Freethought and all the rest, warring with none of these, but finding each of them definitely serviceable to the larger spiritual plan of the universe.

[300] In 1913 the Boston Baháʼí community rented a room on Huntington Avenue for its weekly public meetings followed in 1914 when it moved to the S.S. Pierce building in Copley Square.

[319] He had been impressed with the unique qualities of the temple being a blend of east and west styles, and extended his interest when his insights of the biological unity of humanity was raised to a spiritual affirmation.

[326][327][328][329] He began with American football playing and coaching achieving firsts, degrees from Dartmouth(1904) and Harvard Law School,(1907) service in Morehouse College and Alabama A & M University and during World War I, then on various appointed positions in Massachusetts State government totaling some 26 years, most notably the State Parole Board including 5 years as its chair, was locally and then nationally known as a member of the National Urban League and the leadership of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

After returning home he undertook tours in the North and South in America promoting the religion, a final year of service with state government, and then was given two honorary degrees - first from Harvard Law School and second from Dartmouth College.