I. The Struggle Between the Material and Spiritual Natures of Man
In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher nature and
his material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in the other
he lives for the world alone. Signs of both of these natures are to be
found in men.... Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to
man's spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful
actions are born of his material nature.... But if on the contrary he
rejects the things of God and allows his evil passions to conquer him,
then he is no better than a mere animal. (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks,
p. 60)
Then we must labor to destroy the animal condition, till the
meaning of humanity shall come to light.(Bahá'u'lláh, Seven Valleys,
p. 34)
Nature is the material world. When we look upon it, we see that it
is dark and imperfect. For instance, if we allow a piece of land to
remain in its natural condition, we will find it covered with thorns
and thistles; useless weeds and wild vegetation will flourish upon it,
and it will become like a jungle....
If man himself is left in his natural state, he will become lower
than the animal and continue to grow more ignorant and imperfect....
If we wish to illumine this dark plane of human existence, we must
bring man forth from the hopeless captivity of nature.... But left in
his natural condition without education and training, it is certain
that he will become more depraved and vicious than the animal....
God has sent forth the Prophets for the purpose of quickening the
soul of man into higher and divine recognitions. He has revealed the
heavenly Books for this great purpose.... This divine and ideal power
has been bestowed upon man in order that he may purify himself from
the imperfections of nature and uplift his soul to the realm of might
and power.... The mission of the Prophets of God has been to train the
souls of humanity and free them from the thralldom of natural
instincts and physical tendencies....
The conclusion is irresistible that the splendors of the Sun of
Truth, the Word of God, have been the source and cause of human
upbuilding and civilization. The world of nature is the kingdom of the
animal.... It lives under the bondage of nature and nature's laws....
This is not the glory of man. The glory of man is in the knowledge
of God, spiritual susceptibilities, attainment to transcendent powers
and the bounties of the Holy Spirit. The glory of man is in being
informed of the teachings of God. This is the glory of humanity....
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 308-312)
Know ye that the embodiment of liberty and its symbol is the
animal. That which beseemeth man is submission unto such restraints as
will protect him from his own ignorance, and guard him against the
harm of the mischief-maker. Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds
of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It
debaseth him to the level of extreme depravity and wickedness.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 123)
As we have before indicated, this human reality stands between the
higher and the lower in man, between the world of the animal and the
world of Divinity. When the animal proclivity in man becomes
predominant, he sinks even lower than the brute. When the heavenly
powers are triumphant in his nature, he becomes the noblest and most
superior being in the world of creation. All the imperfections found
in the animal are found in man.... So to speak, the reality of man is
clad in the outer garment of the animal, the habiliments of the world
of nature, the world of darkness, imperfections and unlimited
baseness.
On the other hand, we find in him justice, sincerity,
faithfulness, knowledge, wisdom, illumination, mercy and pity, coupled
with intellect, comprehension, the power to grasp the realities of
things and the ability to penetrate the truths of existence. All these
great perfections are to be found in man. Therefore, we say that man
is a reality which stands between light and darkness. From this
standpoint his nature is threefold: animal, human and divine. The
animal nature is darkness; the heavenly is light in light.
The holy Manifestations of God come into the world to dispel the
darkness of the animal, or physical, nature of man, to purify him from
his imperfections in order that his heavenly and spiritual nature may
become quickened, his divine qualities awakened, his perfections
visible, his potential powers revealed and all the virtues of the
world of humanity latent within him may come to life..... They
liberate man from the darkness of the world of nature, deliver him
from despair, error, ignorance, imperfections and all evil
qualities....
These holy Manifestations liberate the world of humanity from the
imperfections which beset it and cause men to appear in the beauty of
heavenly perfections. Were it not for the coming of these holy
Manifestations of God, all mankind would be found on the plane of the
animal. They would remain darkened and ignorant like those who have
been denied schooling and who never had a teacher or trainer.
Undoubtedly, such unfortunates will continue in their condition of
need and deprivation. (Promulgation, pp. 465-466)
And yet, is not the object of every Revelation to effect a
transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation
that shall manifest itself both outwardly and inwardly, that shall
affect both its inner life and external conditions? (Bahá'u'lláh,
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 240)
Our appetites and inclinations are strongly influenced by the
condition of our physical makeup, and our bodies are in varying
degrees of health, depending on factors such as heredity, environment,
nourishment and our own treatment of them. Genetic variations occur,
producing conditions which can create problems for the individual.
Some conditions are of an emotional or psychological nature, producing
such imbalances as quickness to anger, recklessness, timorousness, and
so forth; others involve purely physical characteristics, resulting
not only in unusual capacities but also in handicaps or diseases of
various kinds.
Whether deficiencies are inborn or are acquired, our purpose in
this life is to overcome them and to train ourselves in accordance
with the pattern that is revealed to us in the divine Teachings. (From
a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the
National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, Sept. 11, 1995;
published in "The American Bahá'í", Qawl 152 BE/Nov. 23, 1995, p 11.)
II. The Importance of the Law of God
The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the
recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the
Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom
of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath
attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone
astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth
every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of
transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the
Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is
acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is
the Source of Divine inspiration. (Aqdas, paragraph 1)
They whom God hath endued with insight will readily recognize that
the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the
maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples. He
that turneth away from them is accounted among the abject and foolish.
We, verily, have commanded you to refuse the dictates of your evil
passions and corrupt desires, and not to transgress the bounds which
the Pen of the Most High hath fixed, for these are the breath of life
unto all created things. The seas of Divine wisdom and Divine
utterance have risen under the breath of the breeze of the All-
Merciful. Hasten to drink your fill, O men of understanding! They that
have violated the Covenant of God by breaking His commandments, and
have turned back on their heels, these have erred grievously in the
sight of God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. (Aqdas, paragraph 2)
O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are
the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of
My mercy for My creatures. Thus hath it been sent down from the heaven
of the Will of your Lord, the Lord of Revelation. Were any man to
taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful
have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be
in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate
the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring
of His bountiful care and loving-kindness.(Aqdas, paragraph 3)
Say: From My laws the sweet-smelling savour of My garment can be
smelled, and by their aid the standards of Victory will be planted
upon the highest peaks. The Tongue of My power hath, from the heaven
of My omnipotent glory, addressed to My creation these words: "Observe
My commandments, for the love of My beauty." Happy is the lover that
hath inhaled the divine fragrance of his Best-Beloved from these
words, laden with the perfume of a grace which no tongue can describe.
By My life! He who hath drunk the choice wine of fairness from the
hands of My bountiful favour will circle around My commandments that
shine above the Dayspring of My creation.(Aqdas, paragraph 4)
Say: True liberty consisteth in man's submission unto My
commandments, little as ye know it. Were men to observe that which We
have sent down unto them from the Heaven of Revelation, they would, of
a certainty, attain unto perfect liberty. Happy is the man that hath
apprehended the Purpose of God in whatever He hath revealed from the
Heaven of His Will that pervadeth all created things. Say: The liberty
that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude
unto God, the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will
refuse to barter it for all the dominion of earth and heaven. (Aqdas,
paragraph 125)
III. The Challenge of the Laws of Bahá'u'lláh
...[I]t is important to acknowledge, with all due humility, that
basic to the Bahá'í Teachings is the concept that it is only God Who
knows the purpose of human life, and Who can convey this to us through
His Manifestations. (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal
House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United
States, Sept. 11, 1995; published in "The American Bahá'í", Qawl 152
BE/Nov. 23, 1995, p 11.)
It is often difficult for us to do things because they are so very
different from what we are used to, not because the thing itself is
particularly difficult. With you, and indeed most Bahá'ís, who are
now, as adults, accepting this glorious Faith, no doubt some of the
ordinances, like fasting and daily prayer, are hard to understand and
obey at first. But we must always think that these things are given to
all men for a thousand years to come. For Bahá'í children who see
these things practiced in the home, they will be as natural and
necessary a thing as going to church on Sunday was to the more pious
generation of Christians. Bahá'u'lláh would not have given us these
things if they would not greatly benefit us, and, like children who
are sensible enough to realize their father is wise and does what is
good for them, we must accept to obey these ordinances even though at
first we may not see any need for them. As we obey them we will
gradually come to see in ourselves the benefits they confer.(From a
letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer,
March 16, 1949; cited in LIGHTS OF GUIDANCE [LG], #1150, p. 343)
IV. Homosexual Acts are Forbidden in the Bahá'í Faith
It is forbidden you to wed your fathers' wives. We shrink, for
very shame, from treating of the subject of boys. Fear ye the
Merciful, O peoples of the world! Commit not that which is forbidden
you in Our Holy Tablet, and be not of those who rove distractedly in
the wilderness of their desires. (Aqdas, paragraph 107)
The word translated here as "boys" has, in this context, in the
Arabic original, the implication of paederasty. Shoghi Effendi has
interpreted this reference as a prohibition on all homosexual
relations.
The Bahá'í teachings on sexual morality centre on marriage and the
family as the bedrock of the whole structure of human society and are
designed to protect and strengthen that divine institution. Bahá'í law
thus restricts permissible sexual intercourse to that between a man
and the woman to whom he is married. (Aqdas, Annotation to paragraph
107, p. 223)
The Universal House of Justice is authorized to change or repeal
its own legislation as conditions change...but it cannot abrogate or
change any of the laws which are explicitly laid down in the sacred
Texts. It follows, then, that the House of Justice has no authority to
change this clear teaching on homosexual practice. (From a letter
written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the United States, Sept. 11, 1995; published in
"The American Bahá'í", Qawl 152 BE/Nov. 23, 1995, p 11.)
V. The Struggle With Homosexual Inclinations
Bahá'í teachings on sexual morality centre on marriage and the
family as the bedrock of the whole structure of human society and are
designed to protect and strengthen that divine institution. This
Bahá'í Law restricts permissible sexual intercourse to that between a
man and the woman to whom he is married.
Thus, it should not be so much a matter of whether a practicing
homosexual can be a Bahá'í as whether, having become a Bahá'í, the
homosexual can overcome his problem through knowledge of the teachings
and reliance on Bahá'u'lláh. (From a letter of the Universal House of
Justice to an individual believer, March 14, 1973; cited in LG, #1225,
p. 365)
Amongst the many other evils afflicting society in this spiritual
low water mark in history is the question of immorality, and over-
emphasis of sex. Homosexuality, according to the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, is spiritually condemned. This does not mean that people
so afflicted must not be helped and advised and sympathized with. It
does mean that we do not believe that it is a permissible way of life;
which, alas, is all too often the accepted attitude nowadays.(From a
letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer,
May 21, 1954; cited in LG, #1221, p. 364)
No matter how devoted and fine the love may be between people of
the same sex, to let it find expression in sexual acts is wrong. To
say that it is ideal is no excuse. Immorality of every sort is really
forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh, and homosexual relationships He looks upon
as such, besides being against nature.
To be afflicted this way in a great burden to a conscientious
soul. But through the advice and help of doctors, through a strong and
determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this
handicap.(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an
individual believer, March 26, 1950; cited in LG, #1223, p. 365; and
in the annotation on p. 223 to paragraph 107 of the Kitab-i-Aqdas)
A number of sexual problems, such as homosexuality and trans-
sexuality can well have medical aspects, and in such cases recourse
should certainly be had to the best medical assistance. But it is
clear from the teaching of Bahá'u'lláh that homosexuality is not a
condition to which a person should be reconciled, but is a distortion
of his or her nature which should be controlled or overcome. This may
require a hard struggle, but so also can be the struggle of a
heterosexual person to control his or her desires. The exercise of
self-control in this, as in so very many other aspects of life,
has a beneficial effect on the progress of the soul. (From a letter of
the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, January 12,
1973; cited in Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-
1973, pp. 110-111; also cited in LG, #1222, p. 365)
Any act or activity by a believer which is contrary to our
teachings will surely be harmful to the spiritual future of the
individual concerned, and may give non-Bahá'ís a wrong impression of
the principles of our Faith....
While recognizing the Divine Origin and force of the sex impulse
in man, religion teaches that it must be controlled, and Bahá'u'lláh's
Law confines its expression to the marriage relationship. The
unmarried homosexual is therefore in the same position as anyone else
who does not marry. The Law of God requires them to practise chastity.
Even though you feel that the conflict is more than you can bear,
your affirmation "I do know I am a Bahá'í" is a positive factor in the
battle you must wage. Every believer needs to remember that an
essential characteristic of this physical world is that we are
constantly faced with trials, tribulations, hardships and sufferings
and that by overcoming them we achieve our moral and spiritual
development; that we must seek to accomplish in the future what we may
have failed to do in the past; that is the way God tests His servants
and we should look upon every failure or shortcoming as an opportunity
to try again and to acquire fuller consciousness of the Divine Will
and purpose.(From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an
individual believer, January 9, 1977; cited in LG, #1226, p. 366)
The House of Justice comments that while there is little in Bahá'í
literature that specifically points to the causes of homosexuality
itself, there is much that concerns the nature of man, his inner life
and growth, and the way to a true Bahá'í life....
Man's physical existence on this earth is a period during which
the moral exercise of his free will is tried and tested in order to
prepare his soul for the other worlds of God, and we must welcome
affliction and tribulations as opportunities for improvement in our
eternal selves. The House of Justice points out that homosexuals are
not the only segment of human society labouring at this daily task
every human being is beset by such inner promptings as pride, greed,
selfishness, lustful heterosexual or homosexual desires, to name a few
which must be overcome and overcome them we must if we are to fulfill
the purpose of our human existence. (From a letter on behalf of the
Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, July 16, 1980;
cited in LG, #1228, p. 367)
The condition of being sexually attracted to some object other
than a mature member of the opposite sex, a condition of which
homosexuality is but one manifestation, is regarded by the Faith as a
distortion of true human nature, as a problem to be overcome, no
matter what specific physical or psychological condition may be the
immediate cause. Any Bahá'í who suffers from such a disability should
be treated with understanding, and should be helped to control and
overcome it. All of us suffer from imperfections which we must
struggle to overcome, and we all need one another's understanding and
patience. (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of
Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, Sept.
11, 1995; published in "The American Bahá'í", Qawl 152 BE/Nov. 23,
1995, p 11.)
VI. The Proper Attitude Towards Homosexual Behavior
O SON OF BEING!
How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the
faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.(Bahá'u'lláh,
Hidden Words, #26 from the Arabic)
O SON OF MAN!
Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a
sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou
be, and to this I bear witness. (Hidden Words, #27 from the Arabic)
He [the true seeker] should forgive the sinful, and never despise
his low estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be. (Iqan, p.
194)
It is the challenging task of the Bahá'ís to obey the law of God
in their own lives, and, gradually to win the rest of mankind to its
acceptance. (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to an
individual believer; excerpts to all National Spiritual Assemblies,
February 6, 1973: Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-
1973, p. 105; also cited in LG, #1146, pp. 341-342)
...it should be realized that there is distinction drawn in the
Faith between the attitudes which should characterize individuals in
their relationship to other people, namely, loving forgiveness,
forbearance, and concern with one's own sins not the sins of others,
and those attitudes which should be shown by the Spiritual Assemblies,
whose duty is to administer the Law of God with justice. (Ibid.,
p.110; cited in LG, #1148, p. 342)
The question of how to deal with homosexuals is a very difficult
one. Homosexuality is forbidden in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh;
so, for that matter, are immorality and adultery. If one is going to
start imposing heavy sanctions on people who are the victims of this
abnormality, however repulsive it may be to others, then it is only
fair to impose equally heavy sanctions on any Bahá'ís who step beyond
the moral limits defined by Bahá'u'lláh. Obviously at the present time
this would create an impossible and ridiculous situation.
He feels, therefore, that, through loving advice, through repeated
warnings, any friends who are flagrantly immoral should be assisted,
and, if possible, restrained. If their activities overstep all bounds
and become a matter of public scandal, then the Assembly can consider
depriving them of their voting rights. However, he does not advise
this course of action and feels that it should only be resorted to in
very flagrant cases. (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian
to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, August 20,
1955; cited in LG, #1230, p. 367-368)
To regard homosexuals with prejudice and disdain would be entirely
against the spirit of Bahá'í Teachings. The doors are open for all of
humanity to enter the Cause of God, irrespective of their present
circumstances; this invitation applies to homosexuals as well as to
any others who are engaged in practices contrary to the Bahá'í
Teachings.
Associated with this invitation is the expectation that all
believers will make a sincere and persistent effort to eradicate those
aspects of their conduct which are not in conformity with Divine Law.
It is through such adherence to the Bahá'í Teachings that a true and
enduring unity of the diverse elements of the Bahá'í Community is
achieved and safeguarded.
When a person wishes to join the Faith and it is generally known
that he or she has a problem such as drinking, homosexuality, taking
drugs, adultery, etc., the individual should be told in a patient and
loving way of the Bahá'í Teachings on these matters. If it is later
discovered that a believer is violating Bahá'í standards, it is the
duty of the Spiritual Assembly to determine whether the immoral
conduct is flagrant and can bring the name of the Faith into
disrepute, in which case the Assembly must take action to counsel the
believer and require him or her to make every effort to mend his ways.
If the individual fails to rectify his conduct in spite of
repeated warnings, sanctions should be imposed. Assemblies, of course,
must exercise care not to pry into the private lives of believers to
ensure that they are behaving properly, but should not hesitate to
take action in cases of blatant misbehavior. (From a letter written on
behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the United States, Sept. 11, 1995; published in "The
American Bahá'í", Qawl 152 BE/Nov. 23, 1995, p 11.)
|