Guidance on politics
GC-33254
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To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
In these turbulent times, it is natural that the friends may find themselves being drawn into discussions about the issues that are pre-occupying the minds and conversations of family members, friends, neighbours and colleagues. No doubt, every Bahá’í is touched by the turmoil encompassing humanity at this “moment of increasing injustice and affliction”[1] and is anxiously concerned with the needs of the age in which we live. Yet, every believer also knows well that the “remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflications”[2] is the long-term, sustainable prescription offered by Bahá’u’lláh, the All-Knowing Physician.
The Universal House of Justice has written:
Members of the Bahá’í community, wherever they reside, avoid engaging in partisan politics or meddling in political relations among governments, refraining at all times from becoming involved in the contest for worldly power. They have chosen this path in accordance with the teachings of their Faith, that they might focus their attention on working towards the greater goal of establishing a united and prosperous society…[3]
In this light, the ongoing uncertainty about the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union – about which there will continue to be much discussion and speculation in the coming weeks – can draw us into the partisan and divisive debate that is dividing the country. The discipline demanded of us to avoid becoming involved in such conversations applies to our communications on websites, blogs, social media, and messaging systems, as well as in discussions within and outside the Bahá’í community.
Abstaining from taking sides on any political issue does not of course mean that Bahá’ís are uninterested in the affairs of society. The opposite is the case. For Bahá’ís to involve themselves, however, in debates on partisan and divisive issues is contrary to the fundamental principle of unity in the Faith. To understand this subject more deeply you are encouraged to study together the letter dated 2 March 2013 from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of Iran, which can be read here online (and in Persian) or as a PDF.
Our task has been brilliantly set before us by the Universal House of Justice in its recent message to the Bahá’ís of the World:
Three brief years remain until the centenary of the Master’s passing, when Bahá’ís the world over will gather and take account of the distance traversed over the first century of the Formative Age. May His loved ones, individually and collectively, little by little and day by day, increasingly embody His counsels: to be united in the Cause and firm in the Covenant; to avoid calumny and never speak ill of others; to see no strangers but regard all as members of one family; to set aside divergent theories and conflicting views and pursue a single purpose and common goal; to ensure that the love of Bahá’u’lláh has so mastered every organ, part, and limb as to leave no effect from the promptings of the human world; to arise with heart and soul and in one accord to teach the Cause; to march in serried lines, pressed together, each supporting the others; to cultivate good character, perseverance, strength, and determination; to know the value of this precious Faith, obey its teachings, walk in this road that is drawn straight, and show this way to the people. [4]
The National Assembly has every confidence that the friends will be mindful of the high standard to which they are called, and will appreciate the imperative not to be drawn into divisive and contentious debates which lie at the root of so much of the suffering that afflicts humanity.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Patrick O’Mara
Secretary
Footnotes
- Universal House of Justice, To the Bahá’ís of the World, 26 November 2018
- Bahá’u’lláh, The Tabernacle of Unity, p.19
- Universal House of Justice, To an individual believer, 22 January 2010
- Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World dated 26 November 2018