Tag: "Priesthood"

tag name	Priesthood	type:	Religion, general; Religions, Middle Eastern
web link	bahai-library.com/tags/Priesthood
related tags	- Christianity; – Abrogated laws and practices; Catholic Church; Religious leaders (clergy)
Inventory subject	Priestcraft; The Christian clergy
notes	See also: – Extracts from Letters Written by or on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi Regarding the Absence of Clergy in the Baha'i Faith
selected quotations (authoritative sources)	These quotations reflect common presentations of Bahá’í views; the materials below may show a wider range of interpretations and contexts: "... In this Book [the Kitáb-i-Aqdas] He... abolishes the institution of priesthood..." – Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 214 "... it must be clearly understood that working for the Cause does not and cannot constitute a sort of professional activity, of the type current in ecclesiastical organizations, whether Christian, Muslim or otherwise. We have no priesthood, no specialized class of people who can make the Cause their only life-work. In the Bahá’í Cause, where practical considerations are harmoniously combined with those of a more theoretical character, where idealism and realism are each duly recognized and are fused into a harmonious whole, men and women are commanded to work for the Cause not as a substitute for their daily professional occupations but in addition to them." – from a letter dated 30 June 1936, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer "... Collateral with His summons to the pursuit of knowledge, Bahá’u’lláh has abolished entirely that feature of all past religions by which a special caste of persons such as the Christian priesthood or the Islamic ‘ulamá came to exercise authority over the religious understanding and practice of their fellow believers. In a letter written in Persian on his behalf to the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Istanbul, the Guardian is at some pains to underline the importance of this marked departure from past religious history: But praise be to God that the Pen of Glory has done away with the unyielding and dictatorial views of the learned and the wise, dismissed the assertions of individuals as an authoritative criterion, even though they were recognized as the most accomplished and learned among men, and ordained that all matters be referred to authorized centers and specified assemblies. The Bahá’í Dispensation is described in the words of its Founder as “a day that shall not be followed by night.” Through His Covenant, Bahá’u’lláh has provided an unfailing source of divine guidance that will endure throughout the Dispensation. Authority to administer the affairs of the community and to ensure both the integrity of the Word of God and the promotion of the Faith’s message is conferred upon the Administrative Order to which the Covenant has given birth. It is solely by the process of free election or by unsought appointment that the members of the institutions of this Order are assigned to their positions in it. There is no profession in either the teaching of the Faith or its administration for which one can train or to which a believer can properly aspire. Cautionary words of Bahá’u’lláh are particularly relevant: Ever since the seeking of preference and distinction came into play, the world has been laid waste. It has become desolate.… Indeed, man is noble, inasmuch as each one is a repository of the sign of God. Nevertheless, to regard oneself as superior in knowledge, learning or virtue, or to exalt oneself or seek preference is a grievous transgression." – from a letter dated 14 March 1996, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual, cited in compilation Issues Related to the Study of the Bahá'í Faith, section 6. "... Bahá’u’lláh has enjoined upon the Bahá’ís the sacred obligation of teaching. We have no priests, therefore the service once rendered by priests to their religions is the service every single Bahá’í is expected to render individually to his religion. He must be the one who enlightens new souls, confirms them, heals the wounded and the weary upon the road of life, and gives them to quaff from the chalice of everlasting life—the knowledge of the Manifestation of God in His Day..." – from a letter dated 22 April 1996, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual
references	en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priest; bahai9.com/wiki/Priesthood; www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/search#q=Priesthood

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