shathaway

Baha'is and Politics

It is written that Baha'is should not participate in partisan politics. Does this mean that Baha'is should not make their opinions known to those who make decisions in the halls of government?

Most communication with government officials appears to be dropped into the circular file (trash can...)! Any ideas? Are the Baha'i institutions making a difference?

Sincerely,
Steven J. Hathaway

Joshua

I suppose it is our duty as individuals and even institutions to share opinions/ideas with the government. I guess the guiding principle here is the manner in which this is carried out. It's obvious that protest/marching is contrary to the Bahá'í Faith Teachings.

It seems tome that in most countries, the minority's views are totally chucked away. In other countries, like South Africa, the government has been very attentive and even invited the national Asembly to share its views on the policies of the government. But again, whether these are being implemneted at the end of the day, it's another interesting question.

Regards,
Josh

arthra

While I think as long as we are non-partisan and don't align ourselves with a party we can express ourselves on forums about peace, justice and economic and social issues. The issue though to me is that we shouldn't allow ourselves to be roped into a partisan effort.

- Art

Jafar

actually, this issue touches on what a lot of my friends deal with. they want to make a difference in the world, and they view the only realistic way of doing this to become involved in politics. i.e., you have to get in there and make laws, get power, and be aggressive or make some sort of political change.

part of me agree's with guys like B. Fuller who say that if you took all the politicians, put them on a rocket and shot them to the sun that the world would change for very little, especially not for the worse. of course, the other part is that all the laws and policies to have an effect.

my personal view is that most of society is unable to see the possibilities of the individual in changing his or her environment. i talked to a very smart girl for awhile, who is studying medicine, and i told her this--that as an individual you have great power to think for yourself and decide what is best, even if it is contrary to everyone around you, and in doing this you have the opportunity to make the greatest changes. perhaps she didn't understand me well, but she had a hard time seeing an individual going against popular understandings and still having power to make a consumate change.

i don't see any intention in society without this independent individual, and maybe without religion the possibility for such an independent person is impossible. there would be a lot of heated debate there if i told that to many of my friends. the alternative is what we have now: a lot of people jumping onto bandwagons that don't really know where they are going, but rather just floating around anomically, swaying and bending with the masses.

if thats all the strenght people think they have, then it makes sense that people would think that politics is the only way to get power to make change. i don't see the Baha'i Faith as wanting that kind of power. it is prohibited, but only because it would hinder the Faith's ability to progress, as i see it. power, that is, power to change, does not come from popular consent of the masses! power to change comes from belief in the change; that is belief in God and His Messengers, as a Baha'i would see it.

arthra

Hmmm...very interesting. The problem with involvement in politics that I see is that sooner or later they get coopted by other players... So they are basically becoming like pawns in someone elses game. So there is the temptation to be "involved" and this stirs people up then they eventually have to be satisfied with lesser goals or politically "smart" moves and so on.

A Baha'i I think can be principled and provide a model to aspire to the principles of the Faith.

From my Ruhi class Book 2:

"The progress of the world, the developement of nations, the tranquility of peoples, and the peace of all on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God."

- Baha'u'llah

Jafar

thats true also. a similar problem that a friend of mine talks about in business... where in order to become as "big" as people want their business to be, to make lots of money, you have to have investment capitol. then, once you have that capitol and the attached, highly-interested investors, you lose atonomy to direct the business. often you goal becomes to appease the investors, which means making more and more money, at whatever costs.

election in to a government may be the same way, you get elected with the help of "investors," and they expect re-payment for their investment...

shathaway

Today's partisan politics are a significant cause of discontent and conflicting agendas. The social investments made in partisan politics make a consensus on critical issues nearly impossible. This is true also of national agendas impeding the acts of consultation and dialog when trying to solve international problems. Instead of people spending their time trying to promote the unity of mankind, they are focusing their energies in trying to solve the various conflicting problems of the moment. People find themselves trying to cope with one crisis after another, participating in one humanitarian cause after another, seldom with anything of major importance being solved.

Many people believe that unity is a distant ideal to be achieved only after the other great problems of our time have been resolved.

Bahá’u’lláh says the opposite should be the case. The disease of our time is disunity. Only after humanity has become united in pursuing the spiritual and humanitarian ideals, will the problems of our social, economic, political and partisan situations find solution.

If you look at how the Baha'i Faith institutions operate, you see a prototype of how the unity of mankind can be achieved. We currently have several million persons throughout the world that are living and promoting this global example of unity. Just look at our institutions and how they are administered. These institutions operate in an atmosphere of prayerful and open consultation, devoid of the divisive demands of partisan agendas.

Sincerely,
Steven J. Hathaway

Clex19

Concerning Baha'is and non-Baha'i politics:
Baha'is should be faithful to their country:
"One can support any baseness save treason to one's country, and every sin admits of pardon and forgiveness save [that of] dishonoring one's government and injuring one's nation."

(Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 49)

Baha'is should not be too immersed in material governments:
"...There are mighty agencies in this world, governments, foundations, institutions of many kinds with tremendous financial resources which are working *123* to improve the material lot of human beings. Anything we Bahá'ís could add to such resources in the way of special funds or contributions would be a negligible drop in the ocean. However, alone among men we have the Divinely-given remedy for the real ills of mankind; no one else is doing or can do this most important work, and if we divert our energy and our funds into fields in which others are already doing more than we can hope to do, we shall be delaying the diffusion of the Divine Message which is the most important task of all.

"Because of such an attitude, as also because of our refusal to become involved in politics, Bahá'ís are often accused of holding aloof from the 'real problems' of their fellow-men. But when we hear this accusation let us not forget that those who make it are usually idealistic materialists to whom material good is the only 'real' good, whereas we know that the working of the material world is merely a reflection of spiritual conditions and until the spiritual conditions can be changed there can be no lasting change for the better in material affairs."

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 122)

Baha'is should not denounce political figures:
"The Guardian wishes me to draw the attention of the friends through you that they should be very careful in their public utterances not to mention any political figures-either side with them of denounce them. This is the first fact to bear in mind. Otherwise they will involve the friends in political matters, which is infinitely dangerous for the Cause."

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 440)

No Baha'i can be regarded as a Republican/Democrat:
"...no vote cast or office undertaken, by a Bahá'í should necessarily constitute acceptance, by the voter or office holder of the entire programme of any political party. No Bahá'í can be regarded as either Republican or Democrat, as such. He is above all else, the supporter of the principles enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh with which, I am firmly convinced the programme of no political party is completely harmonious..."

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 440)

Baha'is should vote for the candidate and not the candidate's party:
"As regards the non-political character of the Faith,... The friends may vote, if they can do it without identifying themselves with one party or another. To enter the arena of party politics is surely detrimental to the best interests of the Faith and will harm the Cause. It remains for the individuals to so use their right to vote as to keep aloof from party politics, and always bear in mind that they are voting on the merits of the individual, rather than because he belongs to one party or another. The matter must be made perfectly clear to the individuals who will be left free to exercise their discretion and judgement. But if a certain person does enter into party politics and labours for the ascendency of one party over another, and continues to do it against the expressed appeals and warnings of the *442* Assembly, then the Assembly has the right to refuse him the right to vote in Bahá'í elections."

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 441)

bisharat

So where are we in the timeline where the Guardian writes in the future this prohibition will be repealed and politics, (which he had a degree in from Oxford) will be pure, and purposeful. Don't we generally see this unity and effectiveness but it keeps getting corroaded by the partisan ego?) j

Vice

I'm a New Baha'i and this have help to understand how we should act in the political view still i don't understand what you mean with the future repealed prohibition..

Pollwr

I think this means that in the future at some point, Bahá'ís will not be prohibited from taking part in politics. At this time, it is predicted that politics will have changed. I suppose that as the Faith grows in the world, there will come a time when this is necessary.

Sen McGlinn

There's a difference here between principle - which does not change - and today's policy in response to the current situation. Abdu’l-Baha wrote to Thornton Chase that

Thou hast asked regarding the political affairs. In the United States
it is necessary that the citizens shall take part in elections. This is
a necessary matter and no excuse from it is possible. My object in
telling the believers that they should not interfere in the affairs of
government is this: That they should not make any trouble and that they
should not move against the opinion of the government, but obedience to
the laws and the administration of the commonwealth is necessary. Now,
as the government of America is a republican form of government, it is
necessary that all the citizens shall take part in the elections of
officers and take part in the affairs of the republic.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v2, p. 342)

He also praised Bahais who held high political offices in Iran, saying that believers (not just Bahais) are restrained by the fear of God, as well as the fear of being found out. A letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi in 1939 says:

“The Bahais will be called upon to assume the reins of government when they will come to constitute the majority of the population in a given country, and even then their participation in political affairs is bound to be limited in scope unless they obtain a similar majority in some other countries as well.”
(Cited in UHJ letter 27 April 1995, ‘Separation of Church and State’)

So there we have one principle: citizenship, in a democracy, involves political participation, also for the Bahais.

However, in the United States of the McCarthy era, the Bahais found it
impossible even to register as a voter without becoming entangled in the
polarized party-political system. From the 1940s to 1960s, Bahais from
the United States were instrumental in founding many of the Bahai
communities outside of the Middle East. To this day one finds Bahais who
think that Bahais are required to abstain from voting, and may even hope
that the political system will eventually be destroyed by such concerted
abstention. But as Abdu’l-Baha’s letter to Thornton Chase shows, the
principle that Bahais must support and obey their governments means that,
in a democratic society, they must fulfill the political duties of
citizenship, as participants. This is the general principle. There
are exceptional circumstances in which this is not possible: in Iran
because the price of participation would have been to deny being Bahai, in
McCarthy’s America because the price was signing up for one or other
mainstream party and against the communist party. Such temporary
exigencies should not be confused with political quietism as a matter of
principle (as in some world-denying millennialist movements). Abdu’l-Baha has stated that the enfranchisement of women and their participation in politics will be a factor in securing the goal of world peace:

“If, in the future, women like unto men are given the franchise,
assuredly they shall prevent the occurrence of war ..”
(letter of Abdu’l-Baha printed in Star of the West Vol. 10 No.3. April 28
1919, 39-40)

Are we to suppose that Bahai women should participate in politics, and
Bahai men should not? Or that women in general should participate, but the
Bahai women (who have as much stake in achieving lasting peace as any of
their sex, and more guidance on how to go about it), should not lift a
finger? Politics cannot be redeemed, if the believers stay aloof from it!

There are many avenues for political participation that do not involve the present party structures: the school board, drainage board, environmental activism, peace movements, being a Justice of the Peace, coordinating your neighbourhood watch, web journalism, etc. - all ways to make the world a better place and be a good (world) citizen. In some places, there's a chance of achieving something in local government politics without being a party member.

BruceDLimber

The distinction that needs to be stressed is that between politics generically, in which Baha'is are free to participate (for example, we serve as judges in various courts) and PARTISAN politics, participation in which is forbidden Baha'is!

It is for this latter reason that Baha'is don't join political parties: partisanship is a divide-and-conquer process wholly at variance with the Baha'i goal of fostering unity, harmony, and concord!

Peace,

Bruce