The Baha'i Faith .. socially very progressive .. morally very conservative.
Universal Moral Standards :
All present day societies have standards of morality which when we take a closer look, we find origins for them in the religions or spiritual beliefs known to that culture whether at present or in the past.
All divine religions have brought teachings and instituted laws and ordinances that have regulated our conduct both as individuals and as societies. These laws have developed over time to become what we now recognize as (more or less) universal moral standards which people are expected to practice as an integral part of daily life even in countries where religion is supposedly no longer adhered to with any seriousness.
These moral standards have also served to raise human societies to heights and realms above those of mere physical existence and survival, where people and animals share many points of commonality. These standards have helped maintain peace and order in society by outlining rights and responsibilities, protecting the weak and the vulnerable, and caring for the poor, the sick and the infirm.
The Baha'i Faith, like the religions that preceded it, also came to affirm and emphasize these moral codes, insisting on the one hand on an even higher expectation of putting them to practice at all times (living them in action) stating that nothing short of the purest deeds and virtues will be accepted, while at the same time clarifying that these laws are expressions of the mercy of God and His love for us, and in turn, our adherence to these laws should be totally voluntary and spontaneous expressions of our love for God and His creation, and not for fear of punishment or for hope in reward. Elaborating on these themes, Baha'u'llah (in the language of revelation) writes:
O MY FRIENDS!
Quench ye the lamp of error, and kindle within your hearts the everlasting torch of divine guidance. For ere long the assayers of mankind shall, in the holy presence of the Adored, accept naught but purest virtue and deeds of stainless holiness.
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
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.
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.
Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere
code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice
Wine with the fingers of might and power. To this
beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath
revealed. Meditate upon this, O men of insight!
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 20)
In our present time, humanity collectively can be seen as emerging gradually from adolescence into adulthood, and therefore, except for certain laws that affect society as a whole, the individual is addressed as a mature person who would take on the responsibility of adhering to the laws out of recognition of their importance, value and inherent benefit without needing to be forced, admonished, or even reminded.
In the Writings of The Bab we find:
Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth the one True God. Shouldst thou worship Him because of fear, this would be unseemly in the sanctified Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an act by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy gaze should be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship Him while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make God's creation a partner with Him, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is desired by men.
Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before God. That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or hope of paradise. Although when true worship is offered, the worshipper is delivered from the fire, and entereth the paradise of God's good-pleasure, yet such should not be the motive of his act. However, God's favour and grace ever flow in accordance with the exigencies of His inscrutable wisdom. The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God.
"Selections from the Writings of the Bab" pp. 77-78
The role of religion in society:
Baha'u'llah brings our attention to the foundation of social order which governs all our relationships be it with members of our family or with complete strangers, reminding us of the basis of our societal rules and regulations and order. He admonishes us to turn to religion for the purpose of establishing and maintaining justice in order to bring about peace and tranquility.
They that are possessed of wealth and invested with authority and power must show the profoundest regard for religion. In truth, religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold for the protection and welfare of the peoples of the world, for the fear of God impelleth man to hold fast to that which is good, and shun all evil. Should the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fairness and justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine. Unto this will bear witness every man of true understanding.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 125)
Verily I say: The fear of God hath ever been a sure defence and a safe stronghold for all the peoples of the world. It is the chief cause of the protection of mankind, and the supreme instrument for its preservation. Indeed, there existeth in man a faculty which deterreth him from, and guardeth him against, whatever is unworthy and unseemly, and which is known as his sense of shame.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 63)
Adherence to the Teachings is to manifest itself through deeds and actions in service to humanity and not merely by paying lip service:
O SON OF DUST!
Verily I say unto thee: Of all men the most negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
In this Revelation the hosts that can render it victorious are the hosts of praiseworthy deeds and upright character. The leader and commander of these hosts hath ever been the fear of God, a fear that encompasseth all things and reigneth over all things.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 126)
The Principle of Gender Equality and Its Effect on Society and Morals:
The Baha’i Faith advocated gender equality. Baha’u’llah proclaimed that women and men have always been and will always be equal in the sight of God:
All should know, and in this regard attain the splendours of the sun of certitude, and be illumined thereby: Women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God. The Dawning-Place of the Light of God sheddeth its radiance upon all with the same effulgence. Verily God created women for men, and men for women. The most beloved of people before God are the most steadfast and those who have surpassed others in their love for God, exalted be His glory....
(Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 379)
The Baha’i teachings liken women and men to the two wings of a bird. Both need to be equally strong in order for the bird of humanity to soar to the summits destined by God for humankind. These teachings emphasize the role of education in bringing the realization of this equality, to the point that if a family can only afford to educate one child, the girl is given preference so that in her role as the first educator of her own children, she would pass on the benefits of her education to them.
This principle of gender equality was put forward by Baha’u’llah in the 19th Century at a time when even in countries which were more open to new ideas, it was still regarded as a radical principle. The suffragette movement was still in its infancy in the West, while in the East, women for the most part were not to be seen or heard or noticed.
Opposition to this idea and objections to its implementation based largely on misunderstanding its essence, caused some people to associate gender equality with breakdown of norms, annulment of the status quo, and weakening of the role and authority of men within society and more dangerously in the home. Loss of power to determine the lives of women in the household and control over the behavior of women in society lead to fears of losing control of morality once women could be seen and heard and noticed. This has resulted in accusations against the Baha’i Faith and its adherents of advocating and promoting moral laxity or even –God-forbid- making lawful what other religions have made unlawful concerning sexuality and its practice, totally obscuring the fact that the practice of sex is only allowed in the Baha’i Faith within the confines of marriage between husband and wife. Furthermore, it is unlawful in the Baha’i Faith for a person to marry any of the relatives that Muslims or Christians are forbidden to marry.
Wearing veils in the Baha’i Faith is neither required of women, nor is it prohibited. The type of clothes a person can wear can differ from one society to another depending on factors such as climate or available materials, and even though the laws in the Baha’i Faith are universal, obedience to them can be manifested differently from region to region while at the same time preserving the spirit of the law, and while there may not be great restrictions on the modes of dress, Baha’u’llah admonishes His followers to practice modesty and not to become “playthings of the ignorant”. Modesty of dress and behavior is expected of both men and women … as is chastity.
The Lord hath relieved you, as a bounty on His part, of
the restrictions that formerly applied to clothing and to
the trim of the beard. He, verily, is the Ordainer, the
Omniscient. Let there be naught in your demeanour of
which sound and upright minds would disapprove, and
make not yourselves the playthings of the ignorant.
Well is it with him who hath adorned himself with the
vesture of seemly conduct and a praiseworthy character.
He is assuredly reckoned with those who aid their Lord
through distinctive and outstanding deeds.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 76)
Say: He is not to be numbered with the people of Baha who followeth his mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on things of the earth. He is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back, nor pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of Me. From his garment the Concourse on high can inhale the fragrance of sanctity.... And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an one, indeed, is the creation of spotless chastity. Thus instructeth you the Pen of the Ancient of Days, as bidden by your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 118)
Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and your heart enlightened.
(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 138)
Shoghi Effendi, the great grandson of Baha’u’llah, who served as Guardian of the Baha’i Faith elaborates further on this issue:
Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity, temperance, decency, and clean-mindedness, involves no less than the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language, amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily vigilance in the control of one's carnal desires and corrupt inclinations. It calls for the abandonment of a frivolous conduct, with its excessive attachment to trivial and often misdirected pleasures. It requires total abstinence from all alcoholic drinks, from opium, and from similar habit-forming drugs. It condemns the prostitution of art and of literature, the practices of nudism and of companionate marriage, infidelity in marital relationships, and all manner of promiscuity, of easy familiarity, and of sexual vices. It can tolerate no compromise with the theories, the standards, the habits, and the excesses of a decadent age. Nay rather it seeks to demonstrate, through the dynamic force of its example, the pernicious character of such theories, the falsity of such standards, the hollowness of such claims, the perversity of such habits, and the sacrilegious character of such excesses.
(Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 30)
Baha’u’llah has also instituted laws against adultery and fornication with punishments which may be seen as harsh in the eyes of some societies, but not harsh enough for people in other societies, but He emphasizes that unless people who commit this sin repent and ask God for forgiveness, their punishment is sever in the afterlife:
Such is the penalty which He Who is the
Lord of Names hath assigned them in this world; and in
the world to come He hath ordained for them a
humiliating torment. Should anyone be afflicted by a
sin, it behoveth him to repent thereof and return unto
his Lord. He, verily, granteth forgiveness unto
whomsoever He willeth, and none may question that
which it pleaseth Him to ordain. He is, in truth, the
Ever-Forgiving, the Almighty, the All-Praised.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 37)
Other laws in the Baha’i Faith can be very severe. The punishment for the murderer or arsonist is either capital punishment or life in prison, and for repeated theft, a permanent mark that identifies the person as a thief. In a way we can say that the Baha'i Faith is socially very progressive while being, morally very conservative. We close with two more passages from the Baha’i Writings:
O people of the world! Follow not the promptings
of the self, for it summoneth insistently to wickedness
and lust; follow, rather, Him Who is the Possessor of all
created things, Who biddeth you to show forth piety,
and manifest the fear of God. He, verily, is independent
of all His creatures. Take heed not to stir up
mischief in the land after it hath been set in order.
Whoso acteth in this way is not of Us, and We are quit
of him. Such is the command which hath, through the
power of truth, been made manifest from the heaven of
Revelation.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 41)
Adorn your heads with the garlands of trustworthiness
and fidelity, your hearts with the attire of
the fear of God, your tongues with absolute truthfulness,
your bodies with the vesture of courtesy. These
are in truth seemly adornings unto the temple of man,
if ye be of them that reflect.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 62)