In contrast to a number of other religious doctrines
and philosophies, the Bahá'í Faith does not teach that the
physical desires of human beings are "evil" or
"bad." Everything in God's creation is regarded as
essentially and fundamentally good. In fact, the very purpose
of the human body and its physical faculties is to serve as a
proper vehicle for the development of the soul. As the
energies of the body are gradually brought under the conscious
control of the soul, they become instruments for the
expression of spiritual qualities. It is only undisciplined
physical passions that become causes of harm, and hinder
spiritual progress.
For example, the
human sexual urge is considered to be a gift from God. Its
disciplined expression within the legitimate bonds of marriage
can be a powerful expression of the spiritual quality of love.
However, the same sexual urge, if misused, can lead one into
perverse, wasteful, and even destructive actions.
Since the body is
the vehicle of the rational soul in this life on earth, it is
important to maintain and care for it. Bahá'u'lláh strongly
discouraged any form of asceticism or extreme self-denial. His
emphasis was on healthy discipline. Therefore the Bahá'í
writings contain a number of practical laws relating to the
care of the human body: proper nutrition, regular bathing, and
so forth. Underlying these, as with many other aspects of Bahá'í
belief, is the principle of moderation: things that are
beneficial when kept within the limits of moderation become
harmful when taken to extremes.
The Bahá'í
writings acknowledge explicitly that certain physical factors
beyond the control of the individual, such as genetic
weaknesses, or inadequate childhood nutrition, can have a
significant effect on one's development during his earthly
life. But such material influences are not permanent, and they
have no power in themselves to harm or damage the soul. At
most, they can only retard temporarily the spiritual growth
process , and even this effect can be counterbalanced by a
subsequent burst of more rapid development. Indeed, the Bahá'í
writings explain that it is often in the individual's
determined and courageous struggle against physical,
emotional, and mental handicaps that the greatest spiritual
growth occurs, and the individual may come to view his
handicaps as blessings in disguise that have, ultimately,
helped him grow spiritually. Thus, admitting that physical
conditions can affect, temporarily but significantly, the
spiritual growth process is far from believing, as many
philosophical materialists do, that we are totally determined
by some combination of genetic and environmental physical
factors:
...movement is
essential to all existence. All material things progress to
a certain point, then begin to decline. This is the law
which governs the whole physical creation.... But with the
human soul, there is no decline. Its only movement is toward
perfection; growth and progress alone constitute the motion
of the soul....
The world of
mortality is a world of contradictions, of opposites; motion
being compulsory everything must either go forward or
retreat. In the realm of spirit there is no retreat
possible, all movement is bound to be towards a perfect
state.
2
The theme of
growth through struggle and suffering occurs at several places
in the Bahá'í writings. Although many of our sufferings
result from careless living and are therefore potentially
avoidable, a certain amount of suffering is necessary in any
growth process. Indeed, we understand and accept that
suffering and self-sacrifice are essential components of
achieving material or intellectual success. Thus, we should
not be surprised that the even more important endeavor of
achieving spiritual growth might also involve those same
elements:
Everything of
importance in this world demands the close attention of its
seeker. The one in pursuit of anything must undergo
difficulties and hardships until the object in view is
attained and the great success is obtained. This is the case
of things pertaining to the world. How much higher is that
which concerns the Supreme Concourse!
3
This brings us to
the Bahá'í concept of the relationship between good and evil
in man. `Abdu'l-Bahá describes it thus:
In creation
there is no evil, all is good. Certain qualities and natures
innate in some men and apparently blameworthy are not so in
reality. For example, from the beginning of his life you can
see in a nursing child the signs of greed, of anger, and of
temper. Then, it may be said, good and evil are innate in
the reality of man, and this is contrary to the pure
goodness of nature and creation. The answer to this is that
greed, which is to ask for something more, is a praiseworthy
quality provided that it is used suitably. So, if a man is
greedy to acquire science and knowledge, or to become
compassionate, generous, and just, it is most praiseworthy.
If he exercises his anger and wrath against the bloodthirsty
tyrants who are like ferocious beasts, it is very
praiseworthy; but if he does not use these qualities in a
right way, they are blameworthy.... It is the same with all
the natural qualities of man, which constitute the capital
of life; if they be used and displayed in an unlawful way,
they become blameworthy. Therefore, it is clear that
creation is purely good.
4
The Bahá'í
Faith does not therefore accept the concept of "original
sin" or any related doctrine which considers that people
are basically evil or have intrinsically evil elements in
their nature. All the forces and faculties within us are
God-given and thus potentially beneficial to our spiritual
development. In the same way, the Bahá'í teachings deny the
existence of Satan, a devil, or an "evil force."
Evil, it is explained, is the absence of good; darkness is the
absence of light; cold is the absence of heat.5
Just as the sun is the unique source of all life in a solar
system, so ultimately is there only one force or power in the
universe, the force we call God.
However, if a
person, through his own God-given free will, turns away from
this force or fails to make the necessary effort to develop
his spiritual capacities, the result is imperfection. Both
within the individual and in society, there will be what one
might term "dark spots." These dark spots are
imperfections, and `Abdu'l-Bahá has said that "evil is
imperfection."
If a tiger kills
and eats another animal, this is not evil, because it is an
expression of the tiger's natural instinct for survival. But
if a person kills and eats a fellow human being, this same act
may be considered evil because man is capable of doing
otherwise. Such an act is not an expression of his true
nature.
As relatively
undeveloped creatures, we have certain intrinsic needs that
demand satisfaction. These needs are partly physical and
tangible and partly spiritual and intangible. It is God who
has created us in this manner and placed us in this situation.
Because God truly loves us, he has provided for the legitimate
satisfaction of all our needs. But if, whether through simple
ignorance or willful rebellion, we try to satisfy some of our
needs in an illegitimate or unhealthy way, then we may distort
our true nature and generate within ourselves new appetites
incapable of genuine satisfaction:
... capacity is
of two kinds: natural capacity and acquired capacity. The
first, which is the creation of God, is purely good--in the
creation of God there is no evil; but the acquired capacity
has become the cause of the appearance of evil. For example,
God has created all men in such a manner and has given them
such a constitution and such capacities that they are
benefited by sugar and honey and harmed and destroyed by
poison. This nature and constitution is innate, and God has
given it equally to all mankind. But man begins little by
little to accustom himself to poison by taking a small
quantity each day, and gradually increasing it, until he
reaches such a point that he cannot live without a gram of
opium every day. The natural capacities are thus completely
perverted. Observe how much the natural capacity and
constitution can be changed, until by different habits and
training they become entirely perverted. One does not
criticize vicious people because of their innate capacities
and nature, but rather for their acquired capacities and
nature.
6
Bahá'u'lláh
said that pride, or self-centeredness, is one of the greatest
hindrances to spiritual progress. Pride represents an
exaggerated sense of one's own importance in the universe and
leads to an attitude of superiority over others. The prideful
person feels as though he is or ought to be in absolute
control of his life and the circumstances surrounding it, and
he seeks power and dominance over others because such power
helps him maintain this illusion of superiority. Thus, pride
is such a hindrance to spiritual growth because it impels the
prideful individual on an endless quest to fulfill the
expectations of his vainly-conceived and illusory
self-concept.
In other words,
the key to understanding Bahá'í morality and ethics is to be
found in the Bahá'í notion of spiritual progress: that which
is conducive to spiritual progress is good, and whatever tends
to hinder spiritual progress is bad. Thus, from the Bahá'í
viewpoint, learning "good" from "bad" (or
"right" from "wrong") means attaining a
degree of self-knowledge that permits us to know when
something is helpful to our spiritual growth and when it is
not. 7 And this knowledge can only
be obtained through the teachings of the Manifestations .
Bahá'u'lláh
repeatedly stressed that only revealed religion can save us
from our imperfections. It is because God has sent his
Manifestations to show us the path to spiritual development
and to touch our hearts with the spirit of God's love that we
are able to realize our true potential and make the effort to
be united with God. This is the "salvation" that
religion brings. It does not save us from the stain of some
"original sin," nor does it protect us from some
external evil force or devil. Rather, it delivers us from
captivity to our own lower nature, a captivity that breeds
private despair and threatens social destruction, and it shows
us the path to a deep and satisfying happiness.
Indeed, the
essential reason for such widespread unhappiness and terrible
social conflict and crises in the world today is that
humankind has turned away from true religion and spiritual
principles. The only salvation in any age, Bahá'ís believe,
is to turn again towards God, to accept his Manifestation for
that day, and to follow his teachings. Bahá'u'lláh pointed
out that, if we reflect deeply on the conditions of our
existence, we must eventually realize and admit to ourselves
that, in absolute terms, we possess nothing. Everything we are
or have--our physical body and our rational soul--all comes
from our Creator. Since God has freely given us so much, we
have, in turn, an obligation to God. Bahá'u'lláh stated that
human beings have two basic duties towards God:
The first duty
prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him
Who is the Day Spring of His Revelation and the Fountain of
His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom
of His Cause and the world of creation [i.e. the
Manifestation].... It behoveth every one who reacheth this
most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to
observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the
world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is
acceptable without the other.
8
In another
passage, Bahá'u'lláh reminded his followers that the duties
which God has given to us are only for our benefit: God
Himself has no need of our worship or allegiance, for God is
entirely self-sufficient and independent of all His creation.
We can therefore be certain that everything God does is
motivated uniquely by His pure love for us. There is no
"self-interest" on the part of God:
Whatever duty
Thou [God] hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to
the utmost Thy majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace
unto them, that they may be enabled to ascend unto the
station conferred upon their own inmost being, the station
of the knowledge of their own selves.
9
-
Adapted
from William S. Hatcher and J. Douglas Martin, The Bahá'í
Faith: The Emerging Global Religion (San Francisco:
Harper and Row, 1985), pp. 108-114.
`Abdu'l-Bahá,
Paris Talks (London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
1969), pp. 89-90. However, there are inherent limits to
human spiritual development, whether in this world or the
next. The Bahá'í writings affirm that human beings can
approach but never attain a state of absolute perfection.
`Abdu'l-Bahá states: "If it were possible to reach a
limit of perfection, then one of the realities of the
beings might reach the condition of being independent of
God, and the contingent might attain to the condition of
the absolute. But for every being there is a point which
it cannot overpass...he who is in the condition of
servitude, however far he may progress in gaining
limitless perfections, will never reach the condition of
Deity...All that he can do is, in the condition of
servitude, to attain endless perfections. . ."
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions(Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1981) pp. 230-31.
`Abdu'l-Bahá,
Divine Art of Living (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1944), p. 92.
`Abdu'l-Bahá,
Some Answered Questions, p. 215 (1981 ed.).
Bahá'u'lláh
explained that references to Satan in the Scriptures of
earlier religions are symbolic and should not be taken
literally. Satan is the personification of man's lower
nature which can destroy him if it is not brought into
harmony with his spiritual nature. There is, in fact, a
well-known philosophical problem concerning God's goodness
and omnipotence and the possible existence of a Satan.
This problem is discussed in some detail in both the
writings of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. In the same
way, heaven and hell are, Bahá'u'lláh taught, not
literal places. Rather, they symbolize the psychological
and spiritual states of being close to God or far from
him. Heaven is the natural consequence of spiritual
progress while Hell represents the results of failure to
progress spiritually.
`Abdu'l-Bahá,
Some Answered Questions, pp. 214-215 (1981 ed.).
In
this connection, Bahá'u'lláh has said: "...man
should know his own self and know those things which lead
to loftiness or to baseness, to shame or to honor."
Bahá'u'lláh in Bahá'í World Faith (Wilmette:
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976), p. 167.
Bahá'u'lláh,
Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1993), par. 1.
Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, 2d
rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1976), pp.
4-5.
