Force
Use of force not abolished[edit]
"On the societal level, the principle of collective security enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh (see Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, CXVII) and elaborated by Shoghi Effendi (see the Guardian's letters in The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh) does not presuppose the abolition of the use of force, but prescribes "a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice", and which provides for the existence of an international peace-keeping force that "will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth". In the Tablet of Bishárát, Bahá'u'lláh expresses the hope that "weapons of war throughout the world may be converted into instruments of reconstruction and that strife and conflict may be removed from the midst of men".
"In another Tablet Bahá'u'lláh stresses the importance of fellowship with the followers of all religions; He also states that "the law of holy war hath been blotted out from the Book".
- (Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Note no. 173)
Violence and force are condemned in this cycle, but opium use must be prevented by any means whatsoever[edit]
"O ye lovers of God! In this, the cycle of Almighty God, violence and force, constraint and oppression, are one and all condemned. It is, however, mandatory that the use of opium be prevented by any means whatsoever, that perchance the human race may be delivered from this most powerful of plagues. And otherwise, woe and misery to whoso falleth short of his duty to his Lord." [cf. Qur'an 39:57]
- (Notes to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, no. 170)
Bahá'ís Recognize the Right and Duty of Governments to Protect Their People[edit]
"...Bahá'ís recognize the right and duty of governments to use force for the maintenance of law and order and to protect their people. Thus, for a Bahá'í, the shedding of blood for such a purpose is not necessarily essentially wrong. The Bahá'í Faith draws a very definite distinction between the duty of an individual to forgive and 'to be killed rather than to kill' and the duty of society to uphold justice. This matter is explained by Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Some Answered Questions'. In the present condition of the world Bahá'ís try to keep themselves out of the internecine conflicts that are raging among their fellow men and to avoid shedding blood in such struggles, but this does not mean that we are absolute pacifists. This point is explained in the following statement written by the Guardian's secretary on his behalf on 21 November, 1935:
'With reference to the absolute pacifists, or conscientious objectors to war; their attitude, judged from the Bahá'í standpoint, is quite anti-social and due to its exaltation of the individual conscience leads inevitably to disorder and chaos in society. Extreme pacifists are thus very close to the anarchists, in the sense that both of these groups lay an undue emphasis on the rights and merits of the individual. The Bahá'í conception of social life is essentially based on the subordination of the individual will to that of society. It neither suppresses the individual nor does it exalt him to the point of making him an anti-social creature, a menace to society. As in everything, it follows the 'golden mean'. The only way that society can function is for the minority to follow the will of the majority.
'The other main objection to the conscientious objectors is that their method of establishing peace is too negative. Non-cooperation is too passive a philosophy to become an effective way for social reconstruction. Their refusal to bear arms can never establish peace. There should first be a spiritual revitalization which nothing, except the Cause of God, can effectively bring to every man's heart.'
"A further quotation which may help this dear friend to understand this matter is the passage about the establishment of the Lesser Peace on page 65 of 'The Secret of Divine Civilization'."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, February 9, 1967, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1354)
Bahá’ís Are not Pacifists[edit]
"…It is true that Bahá’ís are not pacifists since we uphold the use of force in the service of justice and upholding law. But we do not believe that war is ever necessary and its abolition is one of the essential purposes and brightest promises of Bahá’u’lláh's revelation. His specific command to the kings of the earth is: 'Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.' (Tablet to Queen Victoria, 'The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh', p. 13) The beloved Guardian has explained that the unity of mankind implies the establishment of a world commonwealth, a world federal system, '…liberated from the curse of war and its miseries …in which Force is made the servant of Justice…' whose world executive 'backed by an international Force… will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth.' This is obviously not war but the maintenance of law and order on a world scale. Warfare is the ultimate tragedy of disunity among nations where no international authority exists powerful enough to restrain them from pursuing their own limited interests. Bahá’ís therefore ask to serve their countries in non-combatant ways during such fighting; they will doubtless serve in such an international Force as Bahá’u’lláh envisions, whenever it comes into being."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, September 11, 1984: Ibid., in Lights of Guidance, no. 1429)
See also[edit]
Happiness/love and force/punishment are not fully incompatible[edit]
"Shoghi Effendi entirely approves of your suggestion regarding "An International Song of Love" and hopes you will be confirmed in having it perfected and set to suitable music. There is one phrase in the suggested text that I think had better be altered or omitted viz: "not by force - happiness and force are impossible". It is true of course that when love reigns in all hearts violence becomes unnecessary, but the sentence as it stands does not appear to me to be well-worded. Both happiness and force are not only possible but existent, and have co-existed in the world since the dawn of history, and the Bahá'í teachings admit that in past ages and even at the present time Love and Justice have had to make use of force - Christ drove the money changers from the Temple with a scourge. Both Moses and Muhammad resorted to military measures and various forms of punishment and Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá both teach that under certain circumstances the use of force in the interests of justice is not only permissible but incumbent - in order to prevent unjust aggression."
(Example of need for resisting invasions)[edit]
"...if the powers of Europe had not resisted the notorious Attila, he would not have left a single soul alive."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 77, par. 8)
Conquest can be praiseworthy if leader blocks insurgents or unifies a divided state; today, however, the task is for universal peace[edit]
"A conquest can be a praiseworthy thing, and there are times when war becomes the powerful basis of peace, and ruin the very means of reconstruction. If, for example, a high-minded sovereign marshals his troops to block the onset of the insurgent and the aggressor, or again, if he takes the field and distinguishes himself in a struggle to unify a divided state and people, if, in brief, he is waging war for a righteous purpose, then this seeming wrath is mercy itself, and this apparent tyranny the very substance of justice and this warfare the cornerstone of peace. Today, the task befitting great rulers is to establish universal peace, for in this lies the freedom of all peoples."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 70-71)
