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The Bahá'í Faith
History of the faith. The Universal House of
Justice (UHJ). Attitudes towards women, and
the
Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender/
Transsexual community.
Overview:
Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, the Guardian of the Bahá'í
Faith records in his book that the religion started in Iran with "A handful
of students, belonging to the Shaykhi school, sprung from the Ithna-'Ashariyyih
sect of Shi`ah Islam." 1 From that beginning in 1844, the Bahá'í
Faith has expanded into newest of the world's main religions.
Most religious historians believe that the
Bahá'í Faith arose from Islam,
similar to the way Christianity developed out of Judaism.
Just as the original Christians were all Jews, the original Bahá'í's were all
originally Muslims. Bahá'í's teach that theirs is a unique religion
consisting of the teachings that God directly revealed to their prophet Baha'u'llah.
The name of the religion is most commonly spelled Baha'i, although alternative spellings of Ba'Hai, Bahai, Bahá'í, and Bah'ai are sometimes
seen.
The Bab:
Siyyid 'Ali-Muhammad Shirází (1819-1850 CE) was a merchant in Shiraz in the south of Iran. He
assumed the title Bab ("the Gate"). In 1844-MAY-23, in Iran, he
announced the "Declaration of the Bab." He explained that the purpose of His
mission, and those of his eighteen disciples whom he called the "Letters of
the Living," was to herald the arrival of "One greater than Himself",
who would fulfill the prophetic expectations of all the great religions. His followers became known
as Babis.
It is commonly believed that 20,000 were martyred for their beliefs.
However, Dr. Denis MacEoin Author of "The Sources for Early Babi Doctrine and
History" researched Arabic, Persian and European-language archives and has
estimated that there were about 3,000 to 4,000 martyrs -- but perhaps a lot
fewer.
The movement caused much
religious ferment. This led to his execution in 1850 by order of the Shah's chief minister
and at the instigation of Muslim clerics, who saw his movement as a threat to orthodox
Islam.
Baha'u'llah:
One of the Bab's followers, Mirza Husayn-'Ali-i-Nuri (1817-1892), was the son
of a prominent Iranian nobleman and a
prominent follower of the Bab. The Bab had given him several indications of his
future role. In 1854, he was exiled and spent time in what is now Iraq, where he
wrote several books: the Seven Valleys, the Four Valleys, Hidden Words and the Book of Certitude. In 1863, he confided to some of his followers and to his eldest son that he was the
Manifestation predicted by the Bab. This event is commemorated yearly during the
holy days of Ridván.
On 1863-APR-21, while
living in Edirne in what is now Turkey, he began proclaiming his station openly
and publicly to the world at large. His assumed title, Baha'u'llah ("glory
of God"), by which
he is
generally known, was the title that the Bab used to refer to Him. The last forty years of
Baha'u'llah's life were spent in prison or in exile. The last 22 years were spent in or
near Akka, then a prison city. The world headquarters of the Bahá'í Faith is located in
the Holy Land today as a result. It was here that he wrote his main literary
work, the "Most
Holy Book." By 1877, he was given increasing liberty to work
freely.
Baha'u'llah died on 1892-MAY-29 at the age of 74. He had spent most of his
life either as a prisoner or in exile. He was buried in a house near Akka. "His
shrine is regarded by Bahá'ís as the holiest place on earth." 2
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`Abdu'l-Bahá:
Baha'u'llah appointed his son 'Abdu'l-Baha (1844-1921) to be
leader of the movement after his death. He was to be the sole interpreter of his
father's writings. In the very late 19th century, under his leadership, the
faith expanded beyond the Middle East and was introduced to Europe and North
America. He set out on speaking tours, visiting France and the UK in 1911, and
North America, the UK, France, Germany and Hungary during 1912-12.
He lived in Haifa during World War I where he wrote his major book: "Tablets
of the Divine Plan" which contained his thoughts on the worldwide expansion
of the faith. Baha'is believe that his interpretations of Baha'u'llah's writings
were based on his infallible understanding of the texts.
Shoghi Effendi:
'Abdu'l-Baha selected his eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi (-1957) to be
his successor as the Guardian of the Cause of God -- the leader of the Bahá'í community. He dedicated his effort to a
major expansion of the faith into all areas of the world. He was instrumental in
bringing women into various positions of power in the religion, and overcoming
local prejudices against them.
He died in London, England in 1957. He did not name a successor -- a person
to infallibly interpret the writings of Baha'u'llah. Administrative duties were
taken over by a committee who he had called "Hands of the
Cause." They were giving them the authority to lead the Baha'i
Faith.
The Universal House of Justice:
In 1963, the Universal House of Justice (a.k.a. UHJ) was established in Haifi, Israel.
According to their website:
"The Universal House of Justice was revealed by Baha'u'llah, delineated by 'Abdu'l-Baha and constituted by Shoghi Effendi in a Four Stage Plan, to evolve in four phases from an embryonic state of an appointed body to an eventual efflorescence into a universally elected body from all the peoples and nations of the world." 6
The House is the highest authority in the Bahá'í faith. It has coordinated a series of
multi-year plans to further expand and consolidate Bahá'í communities around the
world.
Sexism within the Bahá'í Faith:
The Baha'i religion is currently one of the least sexist religious groups in
the world. Baha'is have promoted an end to bias and discrimination based on sex,
race, religion, etc. However, women were initially excluded from the nine-member
UHJ. Shoghi Effendi apparently preferred that the initial choice of jurors be
limited to men,. Residual sexism among the religion's followers -- particularly in
the Middle and Far East -- threatened to create a schism if women were
considered as full equals of men. "He left this battle for the future
Universal House of Justice itself to fight." 4 The Universal House of Justice has passed its
fiftieth anniversary and remains an all-male organization.
However, the UHJ issued a ruling in 1996 stating that:
"Based upon the Explicit Holy Text and the clear and manifest proofs and evidences contained within, and in accordance with, the revealed statements of Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi, the Universal House of Justice shall be comprised of both men and women.
And furthermore, that:
The membership of both men and women on the Universal House of Justice is constituted within the Baha'i Administrative Order, that is, the membership of both men and women on the Universal House of Justice forms an irremovable part of the constitution of the Universal House of Justice in all its stages.
And therefore, that:
In conformity with, and in enforcement of, the Explicit Holy Text, if women are not elected to the Universal House of Justice than that election shall be declared invalid." 7
In spite of this noble statement, the UHJ remains an all-male body. 8
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Homophobia within the Bahá'í Faith:
Since Shoghi Effendi did not delegate a successor -- one with an infallible
understanding of Baha'u'llah's writings -- the UHJ has "...no
powers to interpret scripture." 3 Thus, none of his or his predecessors' interpretations can be changed.
This may well produce a serious problem in the future over the question of
equality for homosexuals, including the right to access gay marriage.
Shoghi Effendi interpreted a section of Baha'u'llah's writings as prohibiting all same-sex activity, including that
between consenting gays or lesbians in committed relationships. There does not
appear to be any way to overturn his ruling, even if the Bahá'í leadership
were to follow the general concensus of human sexuality researchers and accept that homosexuality is a morally neutral sexual orientation that
is normal and natural for a minority of adults.
Lesbians and gays who are open with their sexual orientation run the risk of losing their Administrative Rights and/or being expelled from the Bahaii Faith. 9
Now that gay marriage has been legalized in the U.S. and Canada, North American Bahá'í 's and accepted by the majority of the adult population, the inconsistency between the faith's general acceptance of settled scientific findings and its rejection of homosexuality will probably be increasingly troublesome in the future and limit its future membership growth.
More details on this topic.
Acceptance of transgender individuals and transsexuals:
A search by the House of Justice revealed no reference in Bahá'i writings that deals either with transsexuality or gender reasignment surgery. They decided that these topics shold be cnsidered medical topics. Members should consult with medical experts who specialize in the field.
The UHJ stated that:
"If ... [the] medical opinion advises a change of sex, and the individual concerned decides to accept the advice given, no administrative sanction should be imposed by Bahá’í institutions on that individual."
The UHJ has further stated:
"... If a Bahá’í has had surgery and a change of sex has been registered officially on the birth certificate or otherwise, marriage is permissible to a person of the sex opposite to that which is officially registered.” 10
Current status:
The Bahá'í faith continues to expand across the world. The religion's rate of
increase is not generally known because accurate
membership data are not available.
Several schismatic movements split away from the
main Bahá'í faith after the death of the Guardian. However, none of them have
been able to build a large membership. They are known as covenant breakers by the main faith.
The Bahá'í faith is still viewed by many Muslims as a breakaway sect of Islam.
Its members are heavily persecuted in some countries because of this, in violation of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, "God Passes By," Pages 402-403. Published
by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust, (1st edition 1971). Online at: http://bahai-library.com/
- Moojan Momen, "8. The history of the Bahá'í faith,"
from "A short introduction to the Bahá'í Faith," at: http://www.northill.demon.co.uk/
- William Miller, "The Rule of the People," Chapter 14 of "The
Baha'i Faith: Its history and teachings," Page 308. See: http://www.gospelcom.net/
- Dr. Leland Jensen, "Explanation of the issue: women on the Universal
House of Justice," at: http://www.lelandjensen.net/
- Denis Maceoin, "The Sources for Early Babi Doctrine and History: A
Survey," Brill Academic Publishers. (1991). Read
a description or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- "The Official Website of the Universal House of Justice," at: http://uhj.net/
- "Women on the Universal House of Justice, The UHJ, 2015, at: http://www.uhj.net/
- "Universal House of Justice," Wikipedia, as on 2015-AUG-10, at: https://en.wikipedia.org/
- Nicolas Snow, "Brokenhearted Bahá'is: LGBTs Rejected by Their Faith," Huffington Post, 2014-JUN-23, at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
- "Transsexuailty by/on behalf of Universal House of Justice, " Bahá'í Library Online, 2002-DEC-26, at: http://bahai-library.com/
Copyright © 1996 to 2015 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2015-AUG-13
Author: B.A. Robinson
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