Memorandum
To: The Universal House of Justice
September 10, 1990
From: Research Department
World Government and the Universal House of Justice
The Research Department has studied the questions raised by Mr. -- and Mr. -- in their letter postmarked 10 July 1990 to the Universal House of Justice. Messrs – and -- are law students who are preparing a research paper relating the concept of sovereignty in international law to the Bahá’i World Order. As a background to their questions, they refer to the following statements:
The remark attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bala in "The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Baha during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912", 2nd. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá’i Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 455, in which the Master indicates that the Universal House of Justice "is endowed with a political as well as a religious function, the consummate union and blending of church and state".
Shoghi Eflendi’s comments about the non-political character of the Faith and his assertion that, no matter how "advanced their institutions," the Bahá’is will not "violate, under any circumstances, the provisions of their country’s constitution" nor "allow the machinery of their administration to supersede the government of their respective countries." See "The World Order of Baha'u’llah: Selected Letters" (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1982). pp. 65-66.
The reference in "The Promise of World Peace" (Haifa: Bahá’i World Centre, 1985), p. 15, to the means by which a World Parliament will be constituted, namely, its members will be elected by the people of each country and confirmed by their respective governments.
Mr. -- and Mr. -- note that a future world government will consist of an international executive, legislature, and a supreme tribunal, and they pose a number of questions that pertain to the relationship between the institutions of the world government and the future role of the Universal House of Justice. We provide the following comment.
Before addressing the specific questions raised by Mr. -- and Mr. --, it is useful to consider, in broad terms, the nature of the evolution of systems of world government, the unfoldment of the Bahá’i Administrative Order into the World Order of Baha’u’llah, and the ultimate convergence of these two evolutionary trends into the Bahá’i World Commonwealth in the Golden Age of the Faith.
Stages in the development of world government
The letters of Shoghi Effendi outline two stages in the
development of world government.
The first stage in this evolution is the emergence of "a world superstate" which will be associated with the establishment of the Lesser Peace. See "The Goal of a New World Order" in "The World Order of Baha’u’llah: Selected Letters". The "World Parliament" referred to in "The Promise of World Peace" is an institution associated with this "superstate". In relation to the Lesser Peace, it is interesting to note that Shoghi Efendi, in a letter dated 14 March 1939 written on his behalf, indicated that it "will come about through the political efforts of the states and nations of the world, and independently of any direct Baha’i plan or effort".
A second, more distant, stage in the evolution of a system of world government, i.e. the "world commonwealth", is described in "The Unfoldment of World Civilization", in the book "The World Order of Baha’u’llah", The "world legislature" mentioned on p. 203 of this book is a term applied to the institution which performs the legislative function in the Bahá’i World Commonwealth. This same term can also be applied to the "World Parliament" associated with the Lesser Peace that was mentioned in the paragraph above. The following extract from "The Promised Day ls Come" (Wilmette: Balá’i Publishing Trust, 1980), p. 123, explicitly links not only the two stages in the evolving world government but also allies them with the "New World Order" of Baha’u’llah.
“To the general character, the implications and features of this world commonwealth, destined to emerge, sooner or later, out of the carnage, agony, and havoc of this great world convulsion, I have already referred in my previous communications. Suffice it to say that this consummation will, by its very nature, be a gradual process, and must, as Baha’u’llah has Himself anticipated, lead at first to the establishment of that Lesser Peace which the nations of the earth, as yet unconscious of His Revelation and yet unwillingly enforcing the general principles which He has enunciated, will themselves establish. This momentous and historic step, involving the reconstruction of mankind, as the result of the universal recognition of its oneness and wholeness, will bring in its wake the spiritualization of the masses, consequent to the recognition of the character, and the acknowledgment of the claims, of the Faith of Baha’u’llah the essential condition to that ultimate fusion of all races, creeds, classes, and nations which must signalize the emergence of His New World Order.”
Development of the World Order of Baha’u’llah
The development of Baha’u’llah’s New World Order, as
outlined in the writings of Shoghi Effendi, is an evolutionary process. In ‘The
Unfoldment of World Civilization’, the World Order of Baha’u’llah is described
as "evolving within the framework of the Administrative Order of His
Faith". The Administrative Order precedes the emergence of the New World
Order. For example, it is referred to as, among other things, "the
precursor, the nucleus and pattern" of "that Order" and as the
"sole framework" of the "Bahá’i Commonwealth of the future”.
Shoghi Effendi also identifies a number of stages in the evolution of the Faith. For instance, in "The Advent of Divine Justice" (Wilmette: Bahá’i Publishing Trust, 1984), p. 15, he refers to “... the successive stages of unmitigated obscurity, of active repression, and of complete emancipation, leading in turn to its being acknowledged as an independent Faith, enjoying the status of full equality with its sister religions, to be followed by its establishment and recognition as a State religion, which in tur must give way to its assumption of the rights and prerogatives associated with the Bahá’i state, functioning in the plenitude of its powers, a stage which must ultimately culminate in the emergence of the worldwide Baha'i Commonwealth, animated wholly by the spirit, and operating solely in direct conformity with the laws and principles of Baha'u'llah.”
Further, in ‘Messages to the Bahá’i World, 1950-1957’ (Wilmette, Bahá’i Publishing Trust, 1971), p. 155, Shoghi Effendi refers to the anticipated impetus to the development of the Faith provided by the World Crusade and he designates the point in time when the Faith will begin to assume responsibility for "religious and civil matters". The Guardian states:
“This present Crusade, on the threshold of which we now stand, will, moreover, by virtue of the dynamic forces it will release and its wide repercussions over the entire surface of the globe, contribute effectually to the acceleration of yet another process of tremendous significance which will carry the steadily evolving Faith of Baha’u’llah through its present stages of obscurity, of repression, of emancipation and of recognition - stages one or another of which Bahá’i national communities in various parts of the world now find themselves in - to the stage of establishment, the stage at which the Faith of Baha’u’llah will be recognized by the civil authorities as the state religion, similar to that which Christianity entered in the years following the death of the Emperor Constantine, a stage which must later be followed by the emergence of the Bahá’i state itself, functioning, in all religious and civil matters, in strict accordance with the laws and ordinances of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy, the Mother-Book of the Bahá’i Revelation, a stage which, in the fullness of time, will culminate in the establishment of the World Bahá’i Commonwealth, functioning in the plenitude of its powers, and which will signalize the long-awaited advent of the Christ-promised Kingdom of God on earth - the Kingdom of Baha’u’llah mirroring however faintly upon this humble handful of dust the glories of the Abha Kingdom.”
Finally, in relation to the future of the Faith, Shoghi Eflendi indicates that it is
“... destined to attain, in the fullness of time, the status of a world-embracing Commonwealth, which would be at once the instrument and the guardian of the Most Great Peace announced by its Author.” ("The World Order of Baha’u’llah: Selected Letters", p. 196)
And, the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 23 December 1985 written on its behalf to an individual believer states that
“... the interests of the entire world ... and those of the Faith are destined to merge in the Most Great Peace.”
Compilations
The Research Department has been able to find few references
that pertain specifically to the questions raised by Mr. .... and Mr. …To
assist them in their study we attach a compilation of extracts from letters
written by and on behalf of the Universal House of Justice. These letters
amplify aspects of the evolution toward World Order and comment on the
relationship between the Bahá’i institutions and the new institutions referred
to in the Guardian’s letters. A number of important general points emerge from
consideration of these extracts, for example:
1. As mentioned earlier, the letters of Shoghi Effendi describe successive stages in the evolution of the institutions of the Faith and their relationship to the world at large. At the time of the establishment of the Bahá’i Commonwealth, of which the Universal House of Justice is the "supreme organ", the House of Justice indicates that "the religious and secular aspects are clearly merged into one set of institutions, i.e., the institutions of the World Order of Bahau’llah". See extract I.
2. The future "governmental functions" of the Houses of Justice have not been clearly defined. See extract 2.
3. The nature of the relationship between the evolving World Order of Baha'u'llah and the institutions of a "slowly awakening world" will require further elucidation by the Universal House of Justice. Extracts 3 and 4 contain statements written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi concerning the International Executive, the Universal Court of Arbitration and the International Tribunal.
4. The process of evolution toward the Bahá’i World Commonwealth is a long and gradual one. See extracts 5 and 6.
5. While the Writings of the Faith contain many passages with "guidance for the changing conditions under which the followers of Baha’u’llah will be labouring during the passing centuries, - it is not possible to see in advance the details of how they will be applied". See extract 7.
Question 1: Relationship between the international legislature and the Universal House of Justice.
In a letter dated 27 May 1966, published in "Wellspring
of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968" (Wilmette: Bahá’i Publishing Trust,
1976), p. 90, the House of Justice is described as both the "highest
legislative body of the Faith" and as the "supreme organ" of the
Bahá’i Commonwealth. The Universal House of Justice has indicated that this
system of government coincides with the "Bahá’i system". See extract
4 of attachment. Further the House of Justice confirms that at the time of the
establishment of the Bahá’i Commonwealth the "religious and secular
aspects are clearly merged into one set of institutions, i.e., the institutions
of the World Order of Baha’u’llah." See extract 1.
Question 2: Enforcement of the laws of the Universal House of Justice on the peoples of the world
With regard to the question about the manner in which the
laws of the Universal House of Justice will be enforced on the peoples of the
world, this needs to be understood within the context of the gradual evolution
of the Faith and the emergence of the world commonwealth. From the extract from
‘Messages to the Bahá’i World, 1950-1957’, p. 155, already cited, it is clear
that the "Bahá’i state" will function, "in all religious and
civil matters, in strict accordance with the laws and ordinances in the Kitab-i-Aqdas".
With respect to how the laws of the Universal House of Justice will be enforced, information on this subject is fragmetary. It is interesting to note that ‘Abdu’l-Baha, in His Will and Testament (see ‘Will and Testament of'Abdul-Baha'’ (Wilmette: Bahá’l Publishing Trust, 1971, pp. 14-15), refers to the fact that the Universal House of Justice enacts the laws and the government enforces them. He states:
“This House of Justice enacteth the laws and the government enforceth them. The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself.”
Further, Shoghi Effendi, in a letter dated 18 April 1941 written on his behalf in response to a question about the "government" referred to in the above excerpt, provided the following clarification:
“By 'Government" ... is meant the executive body which will enforce the laws when the Bahá’i Faith has reached the point when it is recognized and accepted entirely by any particular nation.”
And, the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated 9 March 1977 written on its behalf to an individual believer in response to a question about the rights of the minority of non-Bahá’i citizens in a Bahá’i state indicated:
“As to your question concerning the rights of the minority of non-Bahá’l citizens in a Bahá’i state, it is clear from the writings of our Faith that under a Bahá’i system the rights of the minorities of any type must always be respected and upheld. Just as Bahá’is today show obedience and loyalty to the government but refuse to bow to the majority if they are asked to deny their Faith, so in the future, when the majority is represented by the Faith the Bahá’is will not force the minority to become followers of Baha’u’llah but they will expect the minority to be similarly obedient and loyal.”
The ultimate safeguard in the Faith of Baha’u’llah to ensure that this principle and all its other fundamental tenets are not violated is the Universal House of Justice, which, as its Constitution clearly stipulates, is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of the teachings and of safeguarding their inviolability.
Question 3: Sacred order and secular order
Mr .... and Mr .... make reference to the historical Western
model of the division between church and state. They enquire whether or not it
is valid, in the Bahá’i model, to draw a distinction between a sacred order
(the Bahá’i Commonwealth) and a secular order (the political institutions of
the world). From the foregoing discussions, it is apparent that the sacred and
secular begin to merge with the emergence of the Bahá’i state and that, by the
time of the establishment of the world commonwealth, the "religious and
secular aspects are clearly merged into one set of institutions".
The historical division between church and state which characterizes the Western model of government provides a means for preserving a clear distinction between the religious and political powers in society and for curbing any unwarranted interference of the church in the affairs of the state. Such provisions were particularly relevant to the relations between church and state during the late Middle Ages and the Reformation. It is suggested that, as part of their research, Mr .... and Mr .... might give some attention to a consideration of the uniqueness of the Bahá’i system and the provisions it contains for avoiding the problems and difficulties associated with other religious and governmental systems. In this regard they may well be familiar with the material contained in "The World Order of Bahau’llah: Selected Letters", pp. 18-22 and pp. 152-54.
(Baha’i Library Online)