nathanielfirst

hello,
I am not a believer but a learner... I am studying various religions and I am attempting to have a question answered specific to baha'ism.
my question is, do baha'i's believe that God will ethically/morally test human beings, that he will actively intervene in the world to leave a difficult test for a person? In christianity there is the story of Job, also, the testing of abraham, of jesus, I'd say testing is a strong component of christianity...
baha'i?

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Pollwr

Bahá'is do believe that humans are ethically/morally tested and this is concurrent with the Will of God.

There are many references to tests in the Bahá'í writings and here is an example:

"The trials of Peter tested his fidelity. Tests are benefits from God, for which we should thank Him. Grief and sorrow do not come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine Mercy for our own perfecting.

While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father who is in Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.

Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit."

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 50)

Here is an example of a prayer written by Bahá'u'lláh for us to use, which makes mention of tests:

O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee, Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the brightness of Thy names.

(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 220)

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EWP

Thanks for the question, Nathaniel. "Pollwr" provided an excellent answer and I'd like to add the following points to the discussion as well.

Both the Baha'i Faith and Christianity agree on the principle that God does indeed test His servants. Tests can be understood from at least three perspectives.

First, God's great Messengers are examples to all of humanity. As you know, the Gospels tell of a time when, shortly after beginning His Mission, Jesus spent forty days in the desert being tested. Also, as you know, this was only the beginning of the tests and trials to which Jesus was subjected. Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, also went through trials and tribulations too numerous to mention. The Baha'i Writings state that the purpose of these tribulations was to instruct men and women how to undergo difficulties and how to maintain loving service to God and mankind undaunted by tribulations. The son of Baha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, has confirmed this as follows:

The Holy Manifestations of God possess two stations: one is the physical station, and one the spiritual. In other words, one station is that of a human being, and one, of the Divine Reality. If the Manifestations are subjected to tests, it is in Their human station only, not in the splendour of Their Divine Reality. And further, these tests are such only from the viewpoint of mankind. That is, to outward seeming, the human condition of the Holy Manifestations is subjected to tests, and when Their strength and endurance have by this means been revealed in the plenitude of power, other men receive instruction therefrom, and are made aware of how great must be their own steadfastness and endurance under tests and trials. For the Divine Educator must teach by word and also by deed, thus revealing to all the straight pathway of truth. ('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p. 55-56)

Second, God sends tests into our lives in order to help us distinguish the true from the false. These experiences reveal to ourselves, and of course to others, our true character. Baha'u'llah has made this principle very clear:

Know verily that the purpose underlying all these symbolic terms and abstruse allusions, which emanate from the Revealers of God's holy Cause, hath been to test and prove the peoples of the world; that thereby the earth of the pure and illuminated hearts may be known from the perishable and barren soil. From time immemorial such hath been the way of God amidst His creatures, and to this testify the records of the sacred books. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 47)

Yea, such things as throw consternation into the hearts of all men come to pass only that each soul may be tested by the touchstone of God, that the true may be known and distinguished from the false. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 51)

Such things take place only that the souls of men may develop and be delivered from the prison-cage of self and desire. ... But inasmuch as the divine Purpose hath decreed that the true should be known from the false, and the sun from the shadow, He hath, therefore, in every season sent down upon mankind the showers of tests from His realm of glory. (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 51)

Third, tests help us grow closer to God. God does not need to send us tests to distinguish the true from the false for His benefit, since He already knows the innermost secrets of our souls. But we need to know. We learn from tests. If we do not measure up in a particular situation, we can benefit from the discovery that we are not as good as we thought we were and seek to apply lessons learned. Were we lacking in a certain virtue? Did we turn to God to seek His guidance, forgiveness, wisdom or strength? Did we bring the hardships on our own selves, either by something we have done or by something we have not done? Are we making progress or are we going backwards? Or, did we perform very well spiritually and have something to be thankful for? Have we now spiritually passed a test we had formerly failed?

This process of passing and failing and passing tests is a crucial means by which God helps us to learn and to grow closer to Him, assuming of course that we make the right choices following our experiences. The Baha'i Writings make this very clear:

Thou didst write of afflictive tests that have assailed thee. To the loyal soul, a test is but God's grace and favour; for the valiant doth joyously press forward to furious battle on the field of anguish, when the coward, whimpering with fright, will tremble and shake. So too, the proficient student, who hath with great competence mastered his subjects and committed them to memory, will happily exhibit his skills before his examiners on the day of his tests. So too will solid gold wondrously gleam and shine out in the assayer's fire. It is clear, then, that tests and trials are, for sanctified souls, but God's bounty and grace, while to the weak, they are a calamity, unexpected and sudden. These tests, even as thou didst write, do but cleanse the spotting of self from off the mirror of the heart, till the Sun of Truth can cast its rays thereon; for there is no veil more obstructive than the self, and however tenuous that veil may be, at the last it will completely shut a person out, and deprive him of his portion of eternal grace. ('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 181-182)

Clearly, tests serve an important role in our lives. Obviously, though tests can be physically or spiritually painful, they are ultimately heaven-sent gifts. We must learn to appreciate them, to welcome and not resent them, and to take instruction from them. Only then can we advance spiritually.

Praise thou God, that thou hast been tried and hast experienced such a test. Be patient and grateful. Turn thy face to the divine Kingdom and strive that thou mayest acquire merciful characteristics, mayest become illumined and acquire the attributes of the Kingdom and of the Lord. Endeavour to become indifferent to the pleasures of this world and to its comfort, to remain firm and steadfast in the Covenant and to promulgate the Cause of God. This is the cause of the exaltation of man, the cause of his glory and of his salvation. ('Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 239)

I hope this information is useful for your research.

--Edward Price

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