Chapter 4
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Conflicting writings on the separation of Church and State vs mentions of "Baha'i theocracy", "Baha'i state", etc. Last updated: October 12th, 2024.
The mentions of "Baha'i theocracy", "Baha'i state", "Bahá'í Commonwealth", "this vision of a worldwide commonwealth inspired by a Divine Revelation", etc, in the writings
of Shoghi Effendi and the House (passages 1 - 4); conflict with the emphatic statements by Baha'u'llah in passages 5 - 7, decreeing the separation of Church and State. "The instruments
which are essential to the immediate protection, the security and
assurance of the human race have been entrusted to the hands, and lie
in the grasp, of the governors of human society. This is the wish of God and His decree....". In passages 8 - 10, Abdu'l-Baha also indicates the Baha'i administrative bodies are separate from the government: "... or that at any time it [the House of Justice] will interfere
with governmental affairs". In contrast, passage 11 from Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament says, "This House of Justice enacteth the laws and the government enforceth them", which implies a Baha'i theocracy under the Universal House of Justice. This is another passage that suggests not all parts of Abdu'l-Baha's
Will and Testament are authentic, as it contradicts both Baha'u'llah
and Abdu'l-Baha on the issue of separation of Church and State. Also,
if the divine teaching was for Baha'is to establish a Baha'i
theocracy under the Universal House of Justice, it seems very unusual that Abdu'l-Baha would
make no mention of this during his lifetime, but only include it in his
Will and Testament. It seems more plausible that the writings in question are falsified, are interpolated. At the following external link, in February 1921, before he was the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi is reported to have delivered a paper to the Asiatic Society at Oxford alluding to a Baha'i theocracy. In it, Shoghi Effendi is reported to have said, "Its [the House of Justice] duties are religious, educational, economic and political", "It is broadly speaking the nucleus of the Bahai State". Also, the last sentence in passage 11 from Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament saying, "The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must
aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and
harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may
become firm and strong, all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself ",
is not consistent with what Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha say in passages
#12, which emphasize the importance of individual transformation and purity in building a better world. Passage 13 is a response from Shoghi Effendi to those questioning
whether he has followed the teachings of Baha'u'llah with "absolute
integrity", and also those questioning whether Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament is authentic.
1)
208 THEOCRACY
"What the Guardian was referring to was the Theocratic systems, such as
the Catholic Church and the Caliphate, which are not divinely given as
systems, but man-made and yet, having partly derived from the teachings
of Christ and Muhammad are, in a sense, theocracies. The Bahá'í theocracy,
on the contrary, is both divinely ordained as a system and, of course,
based on the teachings of the Prophet Himself... Theophany is used in
the sense of Dispensation..."
-- Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 78
2)
Not only will the present-day Spiritual Assemblies be styled
differently in future, but they will be enabled also to add to their
present functions those powers, duties, and prerogatives necessitated
by the recognition of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, not merely as one of
the recognized religious systems of the world, but as the State
Religion of an independent and Sovereign Power. And as the Bahá'í Faith
permeates the masses of the peoples of East and West, and its truth is
embraced by the majority of the peoples of a number of the Sovereign
States of the world, will the Universal House of Justice attain the
plenitude of its power, and exercise, as the supreme organ of the Bahá'í Commonwealth, all the rights, the duties, and responsibilities incumbent upon the world's future super-state.
-- Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 6
3)
... and, last but not least, the multitudinous issues that must be
faced, the obstacles that must be overcome, and the responsibilities
that must be assumed, to enable a sore-tried Faith to pass through the
successive stages of unmitigated obscurity, of active repression, and
of complete emancipation, leading in turn to its being acknowledged as
an independent Faith, enjoying the status of full equality with its
sister religions, to be followed by its establishment and recognition
as a State religion, which in turn must give way to its assumption of
the rights and prerogatives associated with the Bahá'í state,
functioning in the plenitude of its powers, a stage which must
ultimately culminate in the emergence of the worldwide Bahá'í Commonwealth, animated wholly by the spirit, and operating solely in direct conformity with the laws and principles of Bahá'u'lláh.
-- Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 13
4)
In answer to those who raise objections to this vision of a worldwide commonwealth inspired by a Divine Revelation,
fearing for the freedom of minority groups or of the individual under
such a system, we can explain the Bahá'í principle of upholding the
rights of minorities and fostering their interests. We can also point
to the fact that no person is ever compelled to accept the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh and moreover, unlike the situation in certain other
religions, each person has complete freedom to withdraw from the Faith
if he decides that he no longer believes in its Founder or accepts His
Teachings. In light of these facts alone it is evident that the growth
of the Bahá'í communities to the size where a non-Bahá'í state would
adopt the Faith as the State Religion, let alone to the point at which
the State would accept the Law of God as its own law and the National
House of Justice as its legislature, must be a supremely voluntary and
democratic process.
-- The Universal House of Justice, 1995 Apr 27, Separation of Church and State
5)
CII. Give a hearing ear, O people, to that which I, in truth, say unto
you. The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath ever regarded, and
will continue to regard, the hearts of men as His own, His exclusive
possession. All else, whether pertaining to land or sea, whether riches
or glory, He hath bequeathed unto the Kings and rulers of the earth.
From the beginning that hath no beginning the ensign proclaiming the
words "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" hath been unfurled in all its
splendor before His Manifestation. What mankind needeth in this day is
obedience unto them that are in authority, and a faithful adherence to
the cord of wisdom. The instruments
which are essential to the immediate protection, the security and
assurance of the human race have been entrusted to the hands, and lie
in the grasp, of the governors of human society. This is the wish of God and His decree....
We cherish the hope that one of the kings of the earth will, for the
sake of God, arise for the triumph of this wronged, this oppressed
people. Such a king will be eternally extolled and glorified. God hath
prescribed unto this people the duty of aiding whosoever will aid them,
of serving his best interests, and of demonstrating to him their
abiding loyalty. They
who follow Me
must strive, under all circumstances, to promote the welfare of
whosoever will arise for the triumph of My Cause, and must at all times
prove their devotion and fidelity unto him. Happy is the man that
hearkeneth and observeth My counsel. Woe unto him that faileth to
fulfil My wish.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 206
Oh ye chosen of God and His trusted ones! Kings are the manifestors of
God's power and the source of His majesty and affluence. Pray ye in
their behalf. The government of the earth has been vouchsafed unto
them. But the hearts of men He decreed unto Himself. He forbade
conflict and strife -- a rigid prohibition in the Book. This is the
Decree of God in this most great Manifestation; and God hath preserved
it from annulment and clothed it with the broidered garment of
confirmation. Verily, He is the all- knowing, the all-wise!
It is incumbent upon all to support those rulers and chiefs of state
who are adorned with the raiment of justice and equity. Blessed are the
rulers and the learned in el-Baha! They verily are My trustees amongst
My servants, and the sources of My Decrees amongst My people. Upon them
rest My Baha, My mercy, and My grace which hath encircled the world!
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Book of the Covenant, Compilations, Baha'i World Faith, p. 208
6)
By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our
mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men. Upon them the eyes
of Bahá are fastened. To this testifieth the Kingdom of Names, could ye
but comprehend it. Whoso followeth his Lord will renounce the world and
all that is therein; how much greater, then, must be the detachment of
Him Who holdeth so august a station! Forsake your palaces, and haste ye
to gain admittance into His Kingdom. This, indeed, will profit you both
in this world and in the next. To this testifieth the Lord of the realm
on high, did ye but know it.
How great the blessedness that
awaiteth the king who will arise to aid My Cause in My kingdom, who
will detach himself from all else but Me! Such a king is numbered with
the companions of the Crimson Ark--the Ark which God hath prepared for
the people of Bahá. All must glorify his name, must reverence
his station, and aid him to unlock the cities with the keys of My Name,
the omnipotent Protector of all that inhabit the visible and invisible
kingdoms. Such a king is the very eye
of mankind, the luminous ornament on the brow of creation, the
fountainhead of blessings unto the whole world. Offer up, O people of
Bahá, your substance, nay your very lives, for his assistance.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 49-50
7)
The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath bestowed the government of the earth upon the kings.
To none is given the right to act in any manner that would run counter
to the considered views of them who are in authority. That which He
hath reserved for Himself are the cities of men's hearts; and of these
the loved ones of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth are, in this Day, as
the keys. Please God they may, one and all, be enabled to unlock,
through the power of the Most Great Name, the gates of these cities.
This is what is meant by aiding the one true God--a theme to which the
Pen of Him Who causeth the dawn to break hath referred in all His Books
and Tablets.
-- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 241-242
8)
O ye who are firm in the Covenant!
The report of the Spiritual Gathering, which is dated *** and sent by
you, was received and its contents were a source of great fragrance and
spirituality. I was glad to read the names of the revered members.
The signature of that meeting should be the Spiritual Gathering (House of Spirituality) and the
wisdom therein is that hereafter the government should not infer from
the term "House of Justice" that a court is signified, that it is
connected with political affairs, or that at any time it will interfere
with governmental affairs.
Hereafter, enemies will be many. They would use this subject as a cause
for disturbing the mind of the government and confusing the thoughts of
the public. The intention was to make known that by the term Spiritual
Gathering (House of Spirituality), that Gathering has not the least
connection with material matters, and that its whole aim and
consultation is confined to matters connected with spiritual affairs.
This was also instructed (performed) in all Persia. ***
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 5
9)
If so be that His Majesty the King will investigate matters in his own
noble person, it is believed that it will become clear before his
presence that this sect have no worldly object nor any concern with political matters.
The fulcrum of their motion and rest and the pivot of their cast and
conduct is restricted to spiritual things and confined to matters of
conscience; it has nothing to do with the affairs of government
nor any concern with the powers of the throne; its principles are the
withdrawal of veils, the verification of signs, the education of souls,
the reformation of characters, the purification of hearts, and
illumination with the gleams of enlightenment. That which befits the
kingly dignity and beseems the world-ordering diadem is this, that all
subjects of every class and creed should be the objects of bounty, and
[should abide] in the utmost tranquility and prosperity under the wide
shadow of the King's justice.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 85
10)
Behold the portals which Bahá'u'lláh hath opened before you! Consider
how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined to attain; how
unique the favors with which you have been endowed. Should we become
intoxicated with this cup, the sovereignty of this globe of earth will
become lower in our estimation than children's play. Should
they place in the arena the crown of the government of the whole world,
and invite each one of us to accept it, undoubtedly we shall not
condescend, and shall refuse to accept it.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 50
11)
And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath ordained as the
source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by
universal suffrage, that is, by the believers. Its members must be
manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and
understanding, must be steadfast in God's faith and the well-wishers of
all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice,
that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be
instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the
members of the Universal one. Unto this body all things must be
referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be
found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all the difficult
problems are to be resolved and the Guardian of the Cause of God is its
sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body. Should
he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to
represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin, injurious to the
common weal, the Guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own
discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect
another one in his stead. This House of Justice enacteth the laws and the government enforceth them.
The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must
aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and
harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may
become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, The Will and Testament, p. 14
12)
For were men to abide by and observe the divine teachings, every trace
of evil would be banished from the face of the earth. However, the
widespread differences that exist among mankind and the prevalence of
sedition, contention, conflict and the like are the primary factors
which provoke the appearance of the satanic spirit. Yet the Holy Spirit
hath ever shunned such matters. A world in which naught can be
perceived save strife, quarrels and corruption is bound to become the
seat of the throne, the very metropolis, of Satan.
How vast the number of the loved and chosen ones
of God who have lamented and moaned by day and by night that haply a
sweet and fragrant breeze might blow from the court of His
good-pleasure and dispel altogether the loathsome and foul-smelling
odours from the world. However, this ultimate goal could not be
attained, and men were deprived thereof by virtue of their evil deeds,
which brought upon them the retribution of God, in accordance with the
basic principles of His divine rule. Ours is the duty to remain patient
in these circumstances until relief be forthcoming from God, the
Forgiving, the Bountiful.
Magnified be Thy Name, O Lord of all beings and Desire of all created
things! I beseech Thee, by the Word which hath caused the Burning Bush
to lift up its Voice and the Rock to cry out, whereby the well-favoured
have hastened to attain the court of Thy presence and the pure in heart
the dayspring of the light of Thy countenance, and by the sighing of
Thy true lovers in their separation from Thy chosen ones
and by the lamentation of them that long to behold Thy face before the
dawning splendour of the light of Thy Revelation, to graciously enable
Thy servants to recognize what Thou hast ordained for them by Thy
bounty and Thy grace. Prescribe for them then through Thy Pen of Glory
that which will direct their steps to the ocean of Thy generosity and
will lead them unto the living waters of Thy heavenly reunion.
-- Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 176
Divine civilization, however, so traineth every member of society that
no one, with the exception of a negligible few, will undertake to
commit a crime. There is thus a great difference between the
prevention of crime through measures that are violent and retaliatory,
and so training the people, and enlightening them, and spiritualizing
them, that without any fear of punishment or vengeance to come, they
will shun all criminal acts. They will, indeed, look upon the very
commission of a crime as a great disgrace and in itself the harshest of
punishments. They will become enamoured of human perfections, and will
consecrate their lives to whatever will bring light to the world and
will further those qualities which are acceptable at the Holy Threshold
of God.
See then how wide is the difference between material civilization and
divine. With force and punishments, material civilization seeketh to
restrain the people from mischief, from inflicting harm on society and
committing crimes. But in a divine civilization, the individual is so
conditioned that with no fear of punishment, he shunneth the
perpetration of crimes, seeth the crime itself as the severest of
torments, and with alacrity and joy, setteth himself to acquiring the
virtues of humankind, to furthering human progress, and to spreading
light across the world.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 132
13)
It would, however, be helpful and instructive to bear in mind certain
basic principles with reference to the Will and Testament of
'Abdu'l-Bahá, which, together with the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, constitutes the
chief depository wherein are enshrined those priceless elements of that
Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is the primary
mission of the Bahá'í Faith. A study of the provisions of these sacred
documents will reveal the close relationship that exists between them,
as well as the identity of purpose and method which they inculcate. Far
from regarding their specific provisions as incompatible and
contradictory in spirit, every fair-minded inquirer will readily admit
that they are not only complementary, but that they mutually confirm
one another, and are inseparable parts of one complete unit. A
comparison of their contents with the rest of Bahá'í sacred Writings
will similarly establish the conformity of whatever they contain with
the spirit as well as the letter of the authenticated writings and
sayings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. In fact, he who reads
the Aqdas with care and diligence will not find it hard to discover
that the Most Holy Book itself anticipates in a number of passages the
institutions which 'Abdu'l-Bahá ordains in His Will. By leaving certain
matters unspecified and unregulated in His Book of Laws, Bahá'u'lláh
seems to have deliberately left a gap in the general scheme of Bahá'í
Dispensation, which the unequivocal provisions of the Master's Will
have filled. To attempt to divorce the one from the other, to insinuate that the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh have not been upheld, in their entirety and with absolute integrity,
by what 'Abdu'l-Bahá has revealed in His Will, is an unpardonable
affront to the unswerving fidelity that has characterized the life and
labors of our beloved Master.
I will not attempt in the least to assert or demonstrate the
authenticity of the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, for that in
itself would betray an apprehension on my part as to the unanimous
confidence of the believers in the genuineness of the last written
wishes of our departed Master. I will only confine my observations to
those issues which may assist them to appreciate the essential unity
that underlies the spiritual, the humanitarian, and the administrative
principles enunciated by the Author and the Interpreter of the Bahá'í
Faith.
-- Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 3
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