(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book), 1290-05-15 [1873-Jul-11] -- BH00001)
Sexual ethics: conduct, conscience, and human dignity
unchastity and adultery
Editorial introduction
Bahá’u’lláh forbids adultery in the same breath as murder, backbiting, and calumny, and that company tells what is at stake: not private appetite alone, but fidelity, trust, and the way one human being treats another. The law is precise about its limits, and penalties are left to the House of Justice. Later guidance is of several different kinds and must be read as such. A letter of 1950 speaks of homosexuality in the medical vocabulary of its time; that vocabulary is not current medicine, homosexuality is not an illness, and attempts to change orientation are opposed by the psychiatric profession [2]. The Universal House of Justice insists that prejudice or disdain toward anyone is against the spirit of the Faith, that the door of the Cause is open to all, and that a Bahá’í should defend the victim of oppression. When accusers bring a woman to Jesus, He turns the question back on their readiness to condemn before speaking to her of her life ahead [1]. The subject opens onto chastity and purity as a positive ideal, and onto the idle fancies and passions that a disciplined life learns to recognise.
Selected passages
As to the question of adultery, this pertaineth to those who are not in wedlock, not to those who are married. As for those who commit adultery while married, their judgment resteth with the House of Justice.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1913-Oct-26, to Naraqi, Nimatullah son of Aqa Muhammad Javad Naraqi -- AB09918)
(Bahá’u’lláh, Su'al va Javab (Questions and Answers), to Zaynul-Muqarrabin -- BH00069)
As for the matter of adultery, in the divine Tablets regarding the matter of immorality, there is such rebuke, reproach and punishment mentioned that it cannot be enumerated - that the person who commits immorality is cast out from the divine threshold, rejected in this world, condemned among the friends and despised among all humanity. Even in some passages there is mention of manifest loss and eternal deprivation.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Mar-10, to Ali Sahib, Siyyid Mazhar et al -- AB00494)
These are His words, exalted be His glory: "Say: Forbidden unto you are fornication, sodomy, and infidelity. Abstain therefrom, O concourse of those who advance! By God! Ye have been created to purify the world from the defilement of evil passions. This is what the Lord of all men enjoineth you, if ye be of them that comprehend. Whoso claimeth to be of the All-Merciful and committeth what the Evil One hath done - he, verily, is not of Me. To this testifieth every kernel and stone, and beyond them this truthful and trustworthy Tongue."
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1291-06-17 [1874-Aug-1] -- BH00721)
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
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 Baha'u'llah, and homosexual relationships he looks upon as such, besides being against nature. To be afflicted this way is a great burden to an 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.
LG#1223 (26 Mar. 1950 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
To regard homosexuals with prejudice and disdain would be entirely against the spirit of Baha'i 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 Baha'i Teachings.
M86-01 205.15 (11 Sep. 1995 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)
Baha'is are enjoined to eliminate from their lives all forms of prejudice and to manifest respect towards all. Therefore, to regard those with a homosexual orientation with prejudice or disdain would be against the spirit of the Faith. Furthermore, a Baha'i is exhorted to be "an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression", and it would be entirely appropriate for a believer to come to the defense of those whose fundamental rights are being denied or violated.
(27 Oct. 2010 on behalf of the Universal House of Justice)
Continue exploring
For thought and discussion
Questions to carry forward
- How do fidelity and trust help us understand the significance assigned to intimate conduct in these selections?
- What distinctions should readers make among a religious norm, a statement about institutional authority, and a medical claim?
- How does the scene in John invite reflection on the relationship between moral exhortation and the impulse to condemn?
- What would it require to hold religious convictions while actively defending the dignity and fundamental rights of people who do not share or conform to them?
- How might the neighboring teachings on marriage and divorce deepen the discussion of responsibility, care, and human vulnerability?