Baha'i Faith/Symbolism/Branch

In the Baha'i faith branches are the symbol of a subcategory. But, the Baha'i faith teaches unity. So, we have to be careful in our understanding of how subcategories are handles. Branches come in all shapes, sizes and levels of virtue. Remember that the whole point is to bear fruit. Those branches lacking in virtue will only bear poisonous fruit. So, they should probably be removed.

Relation to Other Symbols
Spiritual branches are different than material branches in one very crucial way. Spiritual branches can later become analogous to tree trunks rather than branches. But, that doesn't actually happen with real trees. That's how trunks relate to branches. But, the whole point is to bear fruit. So, the branch is useless unless it works with the roots, leaves and trunk in order to bear fruit.

The Bab
The Bab seems primarily concerned with the branches that would come after him. He is concerned about the possibility of misinterpretations and imitations. His solution is simple. If "any branch, leaf, or fruit upon Me that hath failed to bow down before Him, on the day of His Revelation, cut it off." He is imploring God to do away with the kinds of falsehoods that lead to division. The Bab also asked God to bestow his blessing "upon the Tree of the Bayán, upon its root and its branch, its boughs, its leaves, its fruits and upon whatsoever it beareth or sheltereth." So, it's better to maintain healthy branches than to remove unhealthy ones.

Baha'u'llah
Baha'u'llah came after The Bab. So, it makes sense that he would view branches in a different way. That's because today's branches are tomorrows tree trunks. Baha'u'llah referred to the law as the "Root which God hath firmly implanted in the Ground of His Will, and Whose Branch hath been so uplifted as to encompass the whole of creation." This branch is The Bab. So, Baha'u'llah was saying that the Baha'i faith was a branch with certain characteristics of a tree trunk. He predicted that this branch would encompass all of humanity.

Abdu'l-Baha
Abdu'l-Baha was primarily an interpreter. He didn't create any new rules. He just wanted the already established rules to bear fruit. This is evident in his view of branches. He said that "If there be no renewal of fruit from the tree, of what avail is the reformation of bark, blossom, branch and trunk?" He went on to say that the material world must be reformed by spiritual truths. Appropriately enough, the talk was given at the "Metaphysical Club" in Boston, Massachusetts.