A Letter from the the Universal House of Justice on Withdrawal from the Faith
4 April 2001
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
The International Teaching Centre has sought elucidation of issues
concerning the attitude of Bahá'ís and Bahá’í institutions towards those
who have withdrawn from the Faith. In response, we have provided the
following comments, which are being sent to you for your information and
guidance. You are free to share this letter with the believers under your
jurisdiction as you wish.
One's beliefs are an internal and personal matter; no person or
institution has the right to exert compulsion in matters of belief. Since
there is a wide range of meanings in the Sacred Scriptures, there are bound
to be different ways in which individuals understand many of the Bahá’í
teachings. Nevertheless, it is necessary for the viability of the Bahá’í
community that its members share a common understanding of
essentials. This implies a commitment by each member to function within
the framework established by such an understanding.
This framework includes, for example, cognizance of the existence of
a Divine Revelation brought by Bahá’u’lláh, the Manifestation of God for
this age, and acceptance of the two primary duties prescribed by God, as
expressed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book of the Bahá’í
Revelation. These are: "recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His
Revelation and the Fountain of His laws," and observance of "every
ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties," the
Aqdas firmly states, "are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the
other."
'Abdu’l-Bahá, Whom Bahá’u’lláh appointed as the Interpreter of His
writings, reaffirms these fundamentals of Bahá’í belief. In His Will and
Testament He writes: "This is the foundation of the belief of the people
of Bahá (may my life be offered up for them): 'His Holiness, the Exalted
One (the Báb), is the Manifestation of the Unity and Oneness of God and the
Forerunner of the Ancient Beauty. His Holiness the Abhá Beauty (may my
life be a sacrifice for His steadfast friends) is the Supreme Manifestation
of God and the Dayspring of His Most Divine Essence. All others are
servants unto Him and do His bidding.'"
It is within the context of these statements of basic belief and
practice that membership in the Bahá’í Faith is determined. Acknowledging
that the matter of ascertaining the qualification of a true believer is a
delicate and complex question, Shoghi Effendi, the appointee of
'Abdu’l-Bahá as Guardian of the Cause and authorized interpreter of its
teachings, set down for Spiritual Assemblies the principal factors that
must be taken into consideration before deciding whether a person may be
regarded as a true believer or not: "Full recognition of the station of
the Forerunner, the Author, and the True Exemplar of the Bahá'í Cause, as
set forth in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Testament; unreserved acceptance of, and
submission to, whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen; loyal and
steadfast adherence to every clause of our Beloved's sacred Will; and close
association with the spirit as well as the form of the present day Bahá’í
administration throughout the world...."
Viewed in the light of these texts, a statement that one wishes to
withdraw from the Bahá’í community, but not from the Faith, is seen to be
self-contradictory. The Bahá’í community must be seen in its proper
light. The necessity for its existence as an inseparable element of the
Faith itself is explained by the stated purpose of the Revelation of
Bahá’u’lláh: to bring about a Divine Civilization. The embodiment of that
purpose and of the spirit breathed by Bahá’u’lláh into the world is the
Order He has ordained, to which He refers in the Most Holy Book in
asserting: "The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating
influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life
hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous
System - the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed."
Normally, a Spiritual Assembly is called upon to make a decision in
such matters only as the result of an action by an individual, either in
declaring his belief in Bahá’u’lláh, or in stating that he wishes to
withdraw from the Faith, or, very rarely, in persistently promoting
concepts which are clearly inconsistent with the essentials of membership
outlined above.
Acceptance of the Faith is the voluntary act of an individual and is
registered by the appropriate Bahá’í institution unless it has good reason
not to do so. Likewise, a Bahá’í is free to leave the Faith
voluntarily. When a member of the community informs the Assembly of his
wish to withdraw, it would try to help him overcome whatever problems seem
to be the cause of his desiring to take such a step. If he persists in his
intention, the Assembly would normally accept the withdrawal unless there
were grounds for suspecting that he is acting insincerely out of some
ulterior motive, such as to violate a Bahá’í law with impunity.
In spite of loving encouragement given by their Assemblies, not all
Bahá'ís are active in the work of the community. This does not, of course,
necessarily indicate withdrawal. An Assembly should carefully distinguish
between those who are not active but still identify themselves with the
Faith, and those whose inactivity indicates complete lack of interest and a
wish to have nothing more to do with the Cause.
Once a person's resignation from the Faith has been accepted, his
status is that of a non-Bahá’í and - except as noted below - his
relationship with Bahá’í institutions and individual believers is the same
as that of any other non-Bahá’í. As in all human relationships, the
closeness of this connection, and the warmth of friendship, depend upon
personal factors.
Sometimes, after a person's withdrawal from the Cause has been
accepted, it becomes evident that his statements were insincere and were
made merely in order to evade Bahá’í law. The Assembly need not take any
overt action in such a case, but would note the matter in its records. In
other words, it would have to be cautious about accepting a subsequent
declaration of belief from this individual until satisfied that it is made
in good faith. Also, depending upon the circumstances, the Assembly might
require him to rectify the action, taken in violation of Bahá’í law, which
was the motive for his withdrawing from the Faith.
An analogous situation arises when a person who is engaged in some
activity which he suspects would result in his being declared a
Covenant-breaker withdraws from the Faith under the impression that this
step would prevent such an outcome. The Universal House of Justice may
conclude that the withdrawal provides adequate protection of the community
from the individual in question. However, if he persists, following his
withdrawal, in trying to undermine the Covenant or joins forces with
Covenant-breakers, he may be judged to have broken the Covenant, and the
friends would be told to have no association with him. Each such case
would be considered in the context of its specific circumstances.
There is one other condition which should be mentioned. There are
certain former Bahá'ís whose actions do not necessarily constitute
Covenant-breaking, but are seriously destructive. Where such people have
shown that they are impervious to explanations or exhortations from the
Bahá'í institutions, continued association with them can be burdensome and
can exert a spiritually corrosive effect on the faith of believers. In
such cases the Head of the Faith may simply advise the Bahá'ís to leave
them to their own devices.
Thus, there are exceptional cases in which a former believer's
spiritual attitude to the Faith may, to various degrees, create an
estrangement between him and the Bahá'ís. In general, however, a person
who has withdrawn from the Faith is regarded as being among the generality
of humankind with whom the Bahá'ís are enjoined to associate "in joy and
fragrance".
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
cc: International Teaching
Centre
Continental Boards of Counsellors
Counsellors