1 March 1992
Dear Bahá’í Friend,
Your letter of 22 January 1992 has been received by the
Universal House of Justice, and we are to provide the following response.
The House of Justice was sorry to learn from your letter
that your son has recently informed you that he is a homosexual. It commends
your attitude of compassion and your efforts to both maintain harmony in your
marriage and to keep open the lines of communication to your son. In answer to
your specific question, there is little in the Bahá’í writings that
specifically points to the causes of homosexuality itself, but as the House of
Justice has emphasized in past letters to individuals who sought its advice on
this question, there is much that concerns the nature of man, his inner life
and growth, and the way to a true Bahá’í life. In a letter to an individual
believer, the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, gave the following advice:
“No matter how devoted and fine the love may be between
people of the same sex, to let it find expression in sexual acts is wrong. To
say that it is ideal is no excuse. Immorality of every sort is really forbidden
by Bahá’u’lláh, and homosexual relationships He looks upon as such, besides
being against nature.
“To be afflicted this way is a great burden to a
conscientious soul. But through the advice and help of doctors, through a
strong and deter- mined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this
handicap.
“God judges each soul on its own merits. The Guardian cannot
tell you what the attitude of God would be towards a person who lives a good
life in most ways, but not in this way. All he can tell you is that it is
forbidden by Bahá’u’lláh, and that one so afflicted should struggle and
struggle again to overcome it. We must be hopeful of God’s mercy but not impose
upon it.